US Gulf:
Ongoing Colorado Lock delays were expected to block navigation from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, until Sept. 9. Corps data put delays up to seven hours on Sept. 6.
Guidewall construction at Bayou Sorrel Lock, which restarted on Aug. 1, was anticipated to limit Monday-through-Friday movements between 6:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. through February 2023. Minimal delays were recorded through the week.
Efforts to correct an “extensive” shoaling issue in the Atchafalaya River’s Morgan City, La., area at Miles 113-117 resumed on Sept. 1, according to a Coast Guard safety bulletin. Dredging at the site is scheduled through Sept. 15, prompting 10-foot draft limits, 55-foot width limits, 600-foot maximum lengths, and a requirement to check in with the VTS Berwick Bay at Mile 110 prior to arrival in the area. In addition, all tows running longer than 400 feet were required to travel with an assist vessel.
Due to the presence of exposed underwater pipelines revealed by a recent hydrograph of the Atchafalaya River, commercial travel was completely unavailable through Little Island Pass, Middle Island Pass, and Riverside Pass.
Tows locking without assistance through Algiers Lock remained subject to length and width restrictions, sources said, essentially capping tows to four standard barges or two 30,000 mt tankers per turn. Longer hauls could lock when accompanied by an assist tug. Most lockages were reported concluding in less than five hours through Sept. 6.
Intermittent travel restrictions continued to be reported through the Belle Chasse Bridge due to a construction operation scheduled through the end of the year. Interruptions to navigation were described up to 12 hours. The bridge is located at Mile 3 in the West Canal.
Port Allen Lock delays were posted up to 16 hours through the week, while tows passing Industrial Lock saw wait times up to 32 hours on Sept. 5-6. Intermittent Brazos Lock waits ran as high as 10 hours.
Mississippi River:
Low river levels continued to impact travel on the lower Mississippi River. Draft limits of 11.5 were imposed from Cairo, Ill., to Rosedale, Miss., lifting to a full 18 feet below that point. Additionally, tow lengths were reduced by 10-15% from typical capacity, while northbound drafts were reportedly capped at 10.5 feet.
The river gauge at St. Louis returned a 2.06-foot depth reading on Sept. 7, above the 1.21 feet posted one week earlier. Forecasts continued to predict levels dropping below the 0.00-foot mark on Sept. 12.
Channel maintenance in progress at Mile 336 was tentatively expected to wrap up on Sept. 8. The work was noted blocking southbound travel daily between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., although daytime travel was considered on a tow-by-tow basis.
A safety advisory has been in place since Aug. 1 at Miles 228-230 on the lower river due to repair work underway at the I-10 Bridge. The project is scheduled to run through the first half of 2023. Intermittent transit delays were reported.
Old River Lock is reportedly shut to navigation through Nov. 13 due to planned miter gate replacement. Tows looking to access the Red River were advised to make passage through the Atchafalaya River instead.
Due to the upper Mississippi River’s impending shutdown for the winter navigation season, barges loading from NOLA with destinations at or above Dubuque, Iowa, were expected to see final releases in the second week of October. Barges scheduled for unloading below Dubuque were slated for final release in the third week of October.
Illinois River:
Brandon Road Lock repairs in progress since May 9 reportedly wrapped up ahead of the planned Sept. 9 reopening, returning the lock to normal operation on Sept. 2. To complete the project, daytime shutdowns were reported at the site on Sept. 7 and Sept. 8. Sporadic 5-10 hour delays were noted during the week.
Peoria Lock will be shut on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday weekly, Aug. 29 through Oct. 7, between 7:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., for tests of the lock’s carp deterrent system.
Wickets remained up at Peoria Lock and LaGrange Lock due to reduced river levels. As a result, tows were required to lock through both locations.
Ohio River:
A miter gate replacement effort underway at the Cannelton Lock main chamber was reported forcing tows to pass via the secondary chamber through an estimated Nov. 11. Corps data showed most passages delayed in the 24-36 hour range during the week.
Miter gate and quoin repair in progress at the Hannibal Lock primary chamber will run through Oct. 8, limiting lockages to use of the secondary chamber. Minimal delays were noted through the week.
Meldahl Lock returned to normal locking hours on Sept. 2 following a round of equipment repair that closed both the site’s main and auxiliary chambers. Transit through the location was unavailable daily from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. while work was underway, pushing delays up to 10 hours.
Belleville Lock delays were observed up to 11 hours on Sept. 7. Corps data showed intermittent six-hour waits at Newburgh Lock.
At the Tennessee River’s Kentucky Lock, wait times were reported up to 24 hours. Kentucky Lock was scheduled to shut to daylight-hour navigation for equipment repair on Sept. 6-26. Wilson Lock delays were reported at 4-14 hours through the week.
Planned work on the U.S. Highway 60 bridge will necessitate a shutdown of the Cumberland River on Sept. 12-14, from 5:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily, near the Ohio River interchange.
Daytime travel shutdowns are scheduled from Oct. 13 through Nov. 4 at Barkley Lock for dive inspections, blocking navigation daily between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Intermittent Barkley Lock waits were noted up to 12 hours during the week.
Arkansas River:
A revised Norrell Lock repair schedule saw the lock closed to daytime navigation from Aug. 22 through Nov. 30, blocking movements daily between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Navigation remained available during overnight hours, subject to a 70-foot maximum width. Norrell Lock will shut to travel completely on Jan. 30-31, 2023.
Planned daylight travel interruptions at Joe Hardin Lock were extended from the previously scheduled Sept. 12-19, to Sept. 12-29. During this time, travel will be unavailable daily from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The lock will shut completely to vessel traffic from Sept. 30 through Oct. 9.
Planned electrical work at Emmet Sanders Lock will shut that site to navigation entirely on Oct. 2-6.