US Gulf:
Guidewall repairs at Bayou Sorrel Lock set to run through Oct. 30 blocked travel from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, resulting in delays up to 12 hours.
Repairs underway since Feb. 5 at the Ellender Bridge, at Mile 243 of the West Canal, limited weekday travel from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. through April 12. Planned bridge repairs at Mile 63 of the Port Allen Route will close the area to navigation from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on April 19, 21, and 23.
Bayou Boeuf Lock repairs will make navigation unavailable from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on April 1-30. Additionally, shutdowns on the books for April 2-5 and April 9-12 will completely block passage through Bayou Boeuf Lock for 83 hours at a stretch.
Daytime repair closures at Brazos Lock in progress since late August are set to continue indefinitely, sources said, halting navigation daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wait times were reported in a wide 5-25 hour range. The effort was previously scheduled to finish on Feb. 29.
Port Allen Lock delays were noted up to 21 hours during the week, while Corps data showed wait times as high as 46 hours at Industrial Lock. Algiers Lock waits peaked around 12 hours on March 20, and intermittent 5-13 hour delays were reported at Calcasieu Lock.
Mississippi River:
Loading drafts were reduced by approximately 10% on travel through the St. Louis area due to low water levels, sources said, while maximum loading drafts were cut by 5-10% between St. Louis and Cairo, Ill.
Northbound drafts were reportedly limited to 9.5 feet between Columbus, Ky., and St. Louis, while tows traveling downriver saw 10.5-foot draft limits. Tow lengths were capped at 24 barges.
The river gauge at St. Louis showed 4.95 feet of depth on March 20, up from 2.0 feet at last report. Forecasts expected levels to recede to 1.1 feet on April 3.
The last of the Upper Mississippi River’s locks returned from winter shutdowns on March 16, sources said, marking a full return to navigation. Wait times approached five hours at both Lock 24 and Mel Price Lock during the week.
Dredging underway at Miles 0-22 of the lower river will reportedly run nonstop through April 1, though the operation could continue intermittently through the end of August, sources said. Tows were required to pass at lowest safe speeds.
Illinois River:
Travel was unavailable from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Miles 296-296.7 on March 20-21 due to fish barrier testing. The closures are scheduled to repeat on April 3-4. Brandon Road Lock was closed to daytime travel on March 19-20 for miter gate motor and brake assembly installation. Dresden Island Lock is scheduled to go offline for similar work on March 26-27.
Mechanical dredging at Miles 244.2-244.5, reported to begin on March 11, will remain in operation Monday through Thursday from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. until further notice.
Loading drafts on the Illinois River were noted at a maximum 9-10 feet during the week, depending on location and direction of travel, an approximate 5-10% reduction from typical levels. Wickets were in the lowered position at Peoria Lock and LaGrange Lock, allowing vessels to transit both sites without locking.
Ohio River:
Delays continued at Meldahl Lock due to an unplanned main chamber shutdown, leaving vessels to wait up to 22 hours for passage through the smaller auxiliary chamber. Repairs were expected to continue into late March.
Valve repairs at Greenup Lock were reportedly underway through April 12, while scheduled work at Cannelton Lock and Markland Lock is expected to slow travel from April 22 to June 7. Markland Lock will see additional delays on June 10-28 for miter gate repairs.
Racine Lock will undergo machinery repairs between June 1 and July 11, and dewatering and miter gate repairs will run June 15 through Nov. 7 at Hannibal Lock. A project at Belleville Lock will necessitate non-concurrent shutdowns of the lock’s primary and secondary chambers for 30 days apiece during the second half of the year, sources said.
Delays at Kentucky Lock, on the Tennessee River, were reported in a wide 5-20 hour range, while boats waited up to nine hours to transit Wilson Lock. The Cumberland River’s Old Hickory Lock is closed to overnight travel through April 1, while a complete shutdown is scheduled for April 1 through May 9.
Arkansas River:
The Van Buren Bridge, located at Mile 300.8 of the Arkansas River, will close to navigation on Aug. 16-Sept. 8 for miter gate inspections. The Corps is currently planning to pass waiting vessels after the ninth day of work, sources said.