US Gulf:
Intermittent travel outages were expected between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. at the Port Allen Route’s BNSF railroad bridge, located at Mile 1, through July 6. The interruptions were slated to repeat between July 17 and Aug. 14.
Harvey Lock, closed to navigation since June 15 due to reverse head conditions, will remain shut until further notice, sources said. Despite a planned June 23 return to normal operations at Colorado Lock, daytime travel outages continued during the week. Wait times were noted up to 33 hours.
Bayou Sorrel Lock guidewall repairs kicked off on June 26, limiting travel between 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. daily. The project was anticipated to run through March 2024. Corps data showed waits in a 4-11 hour range. Chamber repairs tentatively scheduled to begin on June 30 at Leland Bowman Lock were predicted to impact daytime travel through approximately July 14.
Mississippi River:
Low water levels continued to necessitate towing restrictions on the Lower Mississippi River, sources said. Northbound tows loading from NOLA saw maximum drafts reduced by up to 20%, while draft limits were cut by as much as 15% on southbound movements. In addition, barge counts were slashed by 15- 25% for southbound tows, prompting 24-48 hour delivery delays.
On the upper river, sources noted a 5-10% draft reduction on travel above St. Louis, while drafts were reduced by up to 25% for southbound tows loading at St. Louis. The St. Louis river gauge was posted at (-)0.02 feet and falling slowly on June 28. Forecasts called for a drop to (-)1.90 feet on July 12.
On the lower river, Memphis levels were noted at a low-stage (-)5.77 feet on June 28. Following a brief rise to (-)4.00 feet predicted on July 2-3, the gauge was forecast to recede to (-)8.10 feet on July 12.
Due to shoaling and groundings reported in the area, southbound passage through the lower river’s Mile 779 was restricted to daylight hours for tows of 20 barges or more. Dredging previously underway at Mile 537 shifted to Mile 608 on June 27. Rolling 24-hour shutdowns were expected for the duration of the project.
Work at Old River Lock, scheduled to run July 10 through Aug. 31, will block navigation on July 31-Aug. 3, Aug. 14-17, and Aug. 21-24.
Channel fortification efforts at Miles 931-933 were scheduled to continue through mid-July, limiting southbound navigation between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. daily. Delays were reported at 12-18 hours for the week. The project was described as 40% completed on June 5.
Illinois River:
Brandon Road Lock, Dresden Island Lock, and Marseilles Lock are closed to navigation through the end of September due to planned maintenance and repairs, effectively shutting the river to commercial transport. Starved Rock Lock will go offline on July 11-14 for miter gate repairs.
Draft reductions persisted due to unseasonably low water levels. Wickets were raised at Peoria Lock and LaGrange Lock because of the conditions, prompting tows to lock through both locations. Waits were counted up to 10 hours at LaGrange.
Ohio River:
Ten-foot draft limits were reported on NOLA-loaded barges destined for the Ohio River.
The John T. Meyers Lock primary chamber is shut for repairs through Aug. 20. The site’s secondary chamber will go offline between Aug. 21 and Sept. 10 for miter gate maintenance, followed by an additional main chamber closure running Sept. 11 to Nov. 17.
The secondary chamber at New Cumberland Lock is closed to traffic through Aug. 18. The auxiliary chamber at Melville Lock is shut for repairs until Aug. 4, and travel through the Meldahl Lock auxiliary chamber was unavailable through June 30.
Use of an assist boat was required on southbound movements through Smithland Lock due to strong outflows, sources said. The site’s land chamber is due to close Sept. 22 through Oct. 21 for miter gate machinery repairs, while the river chamber will shut for machinery replacement Oct. 22 through Nov. 20.
The Greenup Lock main chamber is scheduled to close July 5 through Aug. 14, prompting detours through the auxiliary chamber. Winfield Lock repairs, scheduled July 10 through Sept. 15, are unlikely to require significant travel delays, sources said.
Delays were posted up to 20 hours at the Tennessee River’s Kentucky Lock, down from 26 hours reported previously. Boats transiting Wilson Lock waited up to 15 hours to pass. Draft reductions of 5% continued on the Monongahela River due to low water levels.