US Gulf:
High water levels at Baton Rouge triggered restrictions on movements above New Orleans during the week. Northbound tow lengths were reduced by up to 15%, leading to 12-48 hour delivery delays.
A mix of strong winds and difficult currents caused several vessel groundings at Mile 350 in the West Canal on March 18-19, sources said. Recovery operations resulted in navigation delays up to 48 hours.
Maintenance at Bayou Sorrel Lock, restarted on March 1, was scheduled to run through May 31, limiting daytime navigation. Delays were noted up to eight hours during the week.
Brazos Lock is closed to navigation from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, through March 31, prompting waits up to seven hours. Work underway since Jan. 30 at Calcasieu Lock was scheduled to continue through April 6. Corps data put Calcasieu wait times at 11 hours on March 21.
Colorado Lock maintenance and repairs, extended through April 28, restricted travel daily between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Tows needed up to 15 hours to transit the lock. Planned work at the Morgan City Railroad Bridge, located at the West Canal’s Mile 121, is expected to cause intermittent travel outages from mid-April through June.
Updated Algiers Lock repairs, previously slated to kick off in late February, were set to start on March 20. The project will necessitate Monday-through-Saturday shutdowns between 6:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., lasting through May 4. Wait times peaked at 29 hours on March 19-20.
Delays at Industrial Lock were clocked up to 51 hours during the week.
Mississippi River:
High water levels continued to impact travel on the lower Mississippi River, restricting northbound tow lengths by 10-15% and stretching delivery delays to 48 hours, sources said. Southbound towing limits were reported at 35 barges, off from the typical 40-barge maximum.
The NWS on March 21 issued a flood warning for the Mississippi River at Baton Rouge, set to expire on March 26. After cresting at a minor-flood 35.04 feet on March 20, the Baton Rouge gauge was reported at an action-stage 34.86 feet and falling on March 22. Levels at Baton Rouge were predicted to fall below the 30.0-foot action stage on March 27. The Vicksburg gauge returned an action-stage 39.38-foot reading on March 22.
The Chain of Rocks Lock main chamber returned from seasonal scheduled maintenance on March 17. The Mel Price Lock main chamber is anticipated to follow suit on March 31, weather permitting, marking the upper Mississippi River’s complete return from its annual winter shutdown. Chain of Rocks Lock waits were posted at 15 hours on March 22, while vessels waited up to 59 hours to pass Mel Price Lock.
Illinois River:
Elevated water levels allowed for lowered wickets at both Peoria and LaGrange Lock during the week, leaving vessels to transit the sites without locking. Delays were reported up to seven hours at Dresden Island Lock.
Starting on June 1, Brandon Road Lock, Dresden Island Lock, and Marseilles Lock will close to navigation for approximately 120 days, effectively shutting the Illinois Waterway to commercial navigation. Normal movements are expected to resume in October.
Ohio River:
The Hannibal Lock main chamber is shut for maintenance through April 7. Delays ran up to 27 hours through the week.
Floating mooring repairs at JT Meyers Lock are slated to continue through Aug. 20, triggering intermittent main chamber shutdowns. The lock’s secondary chamber will shut Aug. 21 through Sept. 10 for miter gate repairs, followed by another main chamber closure running Sept. 11 through Nov. 17. Delays were noted up to seven hours on March 21-22.
The Greenup Lock main chamber is closed through April 12 for planned maintenance and repairs. The Melville Lock auxiliary chamber is expected to shut April 17 through Aug. 4.
On the Tennessee River, wait times at Kentucky Lock were recorded in a wide 5-25 hour range. Pickwick Landing Lock transits were delayed up to 14 hours, while boats locking through Wilson Lock waited up to nine hours to pass.
Arkansas River:
Repairs to the interlock system at Maynard Lock were scheduled to block navigation on April 10-14.