US Gulf:
Falling water levels on the Lower Mississippi River were expected to allow for easing restrictions on travel above New Orleans. Towing lengths were previously cut by up to 25% from typical levels, triggering delivery delays as high as 48 hours.
Port Allen Lock was slated to shut to daytime navigation on April 27-28 for maintenance. Travel at Algiers Lock was unavailable Monday through Saturday, between 6:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., through May 4. Waits were reported up to 53 hours for the week, rising from 30 hours in the previous report.
Work at Colorado Lock was scheduled to conclude on April 28, ending a period of daytime shutdowns begun on Dec. 5, 2022. With travel reportedly unavailable daily from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., most wait times tracked below the 40-hour mark. Intermittent travel outages noted at the Morgan City Railroad Bridge were expected continue through the end of June. The bridge is located at the Mile 121 in the West Canal.
Repairs to the Bayou Boeuf north chamber guidewall, kicked off on April 18, were expected to close the lock from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, through May 19. Bayou Chene was suggested as an alternate route.
Port Allen Lock delays were reported up to 17 hours during the week, and wait times topped out at six hours at Bayou Sorrel Lock. Corps data put Industrial Lock waits up to 37 hours on April 24-25. Intermittent 5-19 hour delays were posted for vessels transiting Brazos Lock.
Mississippi River:
A bridge collision and sunken barge near Natchez was reported shutting Miles 350-363 of the lower river to navigation on April 24. Northbound movements resumed on April 25, sources said, while vessels pointed downriver were expected to restart navigation on April 26.
Falling water levels were likely to allow for reduced navigation restrictions below Cairo during the week. Tow lengths were previously slashed by 15-25%, adding an estimated 48 hours to delivery times. The river gauge at Vicksburg fell out of action stage on April 19, while the Baton Rouge gauge followed suit on April 23.
Floodwaters approached historic levels on the upper river, however, shutting numerous locks to navigation through at least early May. Locks 1-14 and Locks 16-17 were closed during the week, while Locks 15, 18, and 20-22 were expected to shut between April 27 and May 5. No outages were anticipated at Lock 19.
The river’s northernmost locks could start returning to service as early as May 4-5, forecasts indicated, while Lock 17 was unlikely to reopen before May 18. Tows were not expected to resume northbound departures from St. Louis until mid-May at the earliest.
The river gauge at St. Paul, reported at a major-flood 18.24 feet and rising on April 26, was projected to crest at 18.3 feet on April 26-28, while the Dubuque gauge, posted at a major-flood 22.3 feet on April 26, was forecast to top out at 23.2 feet on April 28-29.
A 23.2-foot crest at Dubuque, if achieved, would mark that gauge’s third-highest depth reading on record, following 25.69 feet recorded on April 26, 1965, and 23.91 feet notched on April 21, 2001.
Illinois River:
Intermittent transit shutdowns at Dresden Island Lock were scheduled to wrap up on April 28. Delays were noted up to seven hours during the week. A larger closure is expected at the site starting on June 1, sources said.
Wait times at both Marseilles Lock and Starved Rock Lock were posted up to 11 hours during the week. High water levels kept wickets in the lowered position at Peoria Lock and LaGrange Lock through the early week, facilitating lockless navigation through both sites. Peoria Lock delays were noted lifting to a 3-9 hour range on April 24-26, however.
The Illinois River is scheduled to shut to commercial navigation for approximately 120 days starting on June 1. Normal movements are projected to resume in late September or early October.
Ohio River:
Floating mooring system repairs underway at JT Meyers Lock are scheduled to run through Aug. 20, with intermittent main chamber shutdowns expected. The secondary chamber will go offline Aug. 21 through Sept. 10 for planned miter gate repairs, after which the main chamber will close once more from Sept. 11 to Nov. 17.
The primary chamber at Dashields Lock shut for maintenance on April 24, complicating travel between the Ohio River and the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers. The project was extended through May 27, one week beyond the previously-reported May 20 end date.
The north chamber at McAlpine Lock will be closed to navigation May 15 through June 15 due to miter gate machinery repairs. Passage will be available through the south chamber. The land chamber at Smithland Lock is due to close Sept. 22 through Oct. 21 for miter gate machinery replacement.
On the Tennessee River, Wilson Lock delays were reported in a wide 4-24 hour range during the week.