US Gulf:
Colorado Lock repairs scheduled through June 2 were noted halting travel between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. daily. Lock delays were reported up to 11 hours through the week. Intermittent navigation closures were expected at the Morgan City Railroad Bridge, located at the West Canal’s Mile 121, through the end of June.
Maintenance at Algiers Lock concluded on May 26, wrapping up a period of Monday-through-Saturday daytime shutdowns.
Bayou Sorrel Lock guidewall repairs were scheduled to begin June 6, leaving navigation unavailable daily from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Waits peaked at 4-14 hours on May 28-29, according to Corps data.
The Corps announced a forthcoming Leland Bowman Lock shutdown for chamber wall repairs, tentatively slated for the last 15 days of June. No firm start date was available on May 31.
Port Allen Lock waits topped out at five hours during the week, a sharp decline from 45 hours reported previously. Industrial Lock delays were noted as high as 18 hours.
Mississippi River:
Sources reported normal operating conditions on the full length of the Mississippi River. The St. Paul gauge receded below the area’s 10.0-foot action stage on May 26, tracking at 6.03 feet and falling on May 31. A flood warning reported in effect on May 24 was not renewed for the current week.
On the lower river, an NWS flash flood watch remained in place for parts of Mississippi and Tennessee due to the possible failure of the Arkabutla Dam, located in Mississippi. The watch was scheduled to expire on June 10.
Revetment work set to run May 13 through approximately mid-July at Miles 931-933, in the Wolfe Island area, blocked travel in the southbound direction from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily. Sources described delays in a 12-18 hour range. The project was previously paused on May 19-27 due to a contractor request.
Illinois River:
A series of large-scale repair and maintenance projects were set to begin at Brandon Road Lock, Dresden Island Lock, and Marseilles Lock on June 1, effectively closing the Illinois River to commercial navigation until an estimated Oct. 1.
Starved Rock Lock was initially included in the maintenance slate but was subsequently removed, returning Ottawa to the waterway’s list of ports remaining available through the next four months. Shipping operators were noted paring back operations on the river ahead of the June 1 deadline.
Lock operators raised wickets at LaGrange Lock due to falling water levels, ending a period of lock-free navigation at the site. Wait times were posted up to six hours for the week. Raised wickets were also reported at Peoria Lock.
Ohio River:
Repairs to the floating mooring system at John T. Meyers Lock were scheduled to persist through Aug. 20, prompting intermittent main chamber shutdowns. The site’s auxiliary chamber is due to go offline Aug. 21 through Sept. 10 for miter gate repairs, followed by an additional primary chamber shutdown running Sept. 11 through Nov. 17.
The auxiliary chamber at Melville Lock was reported closed through Aug. 4 for maintenance. The northern chamber at McAlpine Lock is offline May 15 through June 15 for planned miter gate machinery repairs, prompting vessels to lock through the site’s southern chamber. The Meldahl secondary chamber is shut through June 30 for repairs, sources said.
At Smithland Lock, the use of an assist boat was required on southbound lockages due to strong outflows. The site’s land chamber is slated to shut Sept. 22 through Oct. 22 for machinery repairs.
The Greenup Lock main chamber will be unavailable for navigation July 5 through Aug. 14, forcing vessels to transit solely through the secondary chamber. Winfield Lock repairs, scheduled July 10 through Sept. 15, are unlikely to trigger delays.
Lock operators raised wickets at Olmsted Lock during the week due to falling river levels. Sources had previously expected to wickets to go up by May 29. Navigation at Robert C. Byrd Lock returned to normal on May 27 following a series of 18-hour shutdowns over the May 22-26 period.
Wait times were quoted up to 15 hours during the week at the Tennessee River’s Kentucky Lock. Intermittent 14-hour delays were seen at Pickwick Landing Lock, while Corps data put Wilson Lock passages at 5-7 hours.