US Gulf:
Travel through Harvey Lock remained unavailable during the week due to reverse head conditions. Planned repairs to the BNSF railroad bridge in Morgan City, La., are scheduled to begin in early September.
Side gate repairs at Algiers Lock are projected to close the site for 45-60 days, beginning in the second half of September. Wait times at Algiers were noted up to seven hours during the week.
Guidewall repairs at Bayou Sorrel Lock triggered daily shutdowns from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., causing delays up to 11 hours. The lock was reported completely offline on Aug. 23. The project is scheduled to run into March 2024.
Dredging operations at Bayou Chene, expected to continue through Nov. 30, prompted slow travel warnings through the area. Brazos Lock started daily 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. repair shutdowns on Aug. 21. Intermittent delays were noted in the 8-19 hour range.
Sources reported travel delays through the Panama Canal due to low water levels, slowing deliveries to the US Gulf by up to two weeks. Larger vessels were said to face shorter delays.
Port Allen Lock saw 4-11 hour delays, while 12-hour wait times were noted at Industrial Lock. Colorado Lock delays were posted up to nine hours. Passages through Leland Bowman Lock ran in a wide 17-41 hour range, Corps data indicated.
Mississippi River:
A return to falling water levels on the Mississippi River led to tighter restrictions, sources said. Northbound barges destined for St. Louis or above were held to 10.5 feet of draft, while vessels traveling downriver from St. Louis were limited to 11.5-foot drafts.
Drafts were capped at 80% of normal capacity for both north- and southbound travel between the Gulf and Cairo, Ill., while sections of the lower river saw tow sizes reduced by 10-15% from typical levels. Delivery delays were predicted in the 24-48 hour range as a result.
The river gauge at St. Louis was noted at (-)0.02 feet and falling on Aug. 24, below last week’s 4.94 feet. Levels were expected to recede to (-)3.40 feet on Sept. 5. The gauge at Memphis, Tenn., was posted at 1.70 feet and dropping fast on Aug. 24, and was forecast to move below the region’s (-)5.00-foot low stage on Aug. 26 on the way to an expected (-)6.60-foot reading on Sept. 7. Memphis, Vicksburg, Miss., and Baton Rouge, La., were under an excessive heat warning at midweek.
Dredging shifted to the lower river’s Mile 540 during the week, sources said, where rolling 24-hour shutdowns could drive 24-36 hour delays. Dredging in progress at Mile 653 caused minimal waiting. Ongoing dredge work was reported at the upper river’s Mile 166.
Sources noted daytime travel outages at Old River Lock driving 4-6 hour delays. Navigation was completely unavailable through the site on Aug. 21-24.
Lock 25 is scheduled to shut between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on Aug. 25 and Aug. 31, with additional 12-hour shutdowns on the books in October, November, and December. Eight-hour travel closures were reported through the bridge at Ft. Madison, Iowa, on Aug. 19 and 20.
Illinois River:
Wickets were up at Peoria Lock and LaGrange Lock during the week due to low water conditions, prompting vessels to lock through both locations.
The Illinois River is effectively closed to commercial travel through an estimate Sept. 30 for repair and maintenance works at Brandon Road Lock, Dresden Island Lock, and Marseilles Lock.
Ohio River:
Sources noted Ohio River loading drafts reduced to 10.0-10.5 feet due to low water levels. Monongahela River drafts continued at 8.5 feet.
The secondary chamber at John T. Myers Lock is closed from Aug. 21 through Sept. 10 for miter gate repairs, prompting delays up to 12 hours. The site’s main chamber is scheduled to shut Sept. 11 through Nov. 17. Olmsted Lock repairs slated for Aug. 9 through Sept. 24 were noted driving minimal delays during the week.
Montgomery Lock will see alternating primary and secondary chamber shutdowns between Sept. 2 and Dec. 22. Primary chamber travel will be unavailable on Sept. 5-25, Oct. 17-Nov. 22, and Nov. 26-Dec. 22, while the secondary chamber will shut Sept. 2-5, Sept. 25-Oct. 17, and Nov. 22-26.
The Smithland Lock land chamber is due to close Sept. 22 through Oct. 21 for repairs. The site’s river chamber will be unavailable Oct. 22 through Nov. 20. Mandatory assist boat usage continued on southbound lockages through Smithland during the week.
Arkansas:
Sources reported daytime-only navigation restrictions in place through the Port of Catoosa. Webbers Falls Lock is scheduled to close on Sept. 11-17 for repairs, and travel will be unavailable at Joe Hardin Lock on Sept. 11-15 due to repairs and maintenance.