US Gulf:
Bayou Boeuf Lock repairs are underway through approximately July 10, blocking Monday-Friday travel between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. In addition to the weekday closures, the lock was scheduled to shut entirely from 7 a.m. on June 18 through 6 p.m. on June 21.
Daytime delays continued at Brazos Lock due to a repair project in progress since August 2023. Navigation was limited between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., resulting in intermittent 5-61 hour wait times, Corps data showed. The project was expected to run through October.
Guidewall repairs at Bayou Sorrel Lock are set to run through Oct. 30, slowing travel from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Delays were quoted up to 60 hours, rising from 51 hours the previous week.
Repairs to the Houston area’s San Jacinto River Bridge are scheduled to continue into July or August. Traffic is limited to single-wide towing configurations through the western side of the channel. The channel’s eastern side is completely closed to navigation.
Due to high water on the Lower Mississippi River, tows longer than 600 feet were recommended to use an assist boat to enter Port Allen Lock. Port Allen Lock delays were noted up to 37 hours during the week.
Corps data put most Industrial Lock wait times in a 50-69 hour range. Boats transiting Algiers Lock waited up to 47 hours on June 18-20, and Colorado Lock waits were posted up to 87 hours at midweek.
Mississippi River:
Water levels were on the rise again in Savage, Minn., extending a navigation shutdown stretching back to early June. The river gauge at Savage was reported at a minor-floor 702.6 feet and rising at midweek, with levels forecast to hit the 708.8-foot mark on June 26. Forecasters on June 20 offered no expected timeline for a return to normal depths.
Loading drafts continued to be reported at a maximum 11.5 feet on northbound travel through the St. Louis area.
Marine travel will be unavailable through the Fort Madison Bridge on June 23 and June 30 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lock 21 will close to daytime navigation on Aug. 13.
Falling water levels on the lower river were said to offer a return to normal navigation during the week. The river gauge at Vicksburg, Miss., fell below the area’s 35-foot action stage on June 14. The gauge at Baton Rouge, La., followed on June 18, moving below that area’s 30-foot action stage.
Intermittent six-hour waits were reported at Lock 20. Tows waited up to nine hours to pass both Lock 25 and Lock 27, and Corps data showed a handful of 5-12 hour delays at Mel Price Lock.
Illinois River:
Falling water levels on the Illinois River prompted new draft restrictions during the week, sources said. Tows were limited to 9.75 feet of draft on both north- and southbound travel below Mile 160. Draft limits fell to 9.5 feet at Miles 160-231 and 9.0 feet above Mile 231.
Wait times were quoted in a 3-14 hour range at LaGrange Lock, while delays topped out around the four-hour mark at Peoria Lock.
Ohio River:
Falling water levels on the lower Ohio River prompted at 5-10% reduction in loading drafts, sources said, noting drafts in a 10-10.5 foot range, depending on location and direction of travel. Drafts were previously reported at 10-11 feet. Tow lengths continued to be permitted up to 15 barges.
Repairs and maintenance shut the Hannibal Lock main chamber for 18 hours daily during the week. Tows were able to pass through the auxiliary chamber, with minimal delays reported. The project is scheduled through Nov. 8.
Machinery repairs at the Racine Lock auxiliary chamber are underway through July 11, prompting intermittent 13-hour delays. The primary chamber at Markland Lock is due to close for up to 19 hours per day from July 8 to Aug. 2, forcing detours through the secondary chamber. A second main chamber outage is scheduled to run from Aug. 12 through Sept. 6, sources said.
The primary chamber at John T. Myers Lock will close to navigation from Aug. 21 through Nov. 9, sources said. A similar closure in October 2023 resulted in delays up to four days in length. Belleville Lock will experience alternating 30-day main and secondary chamber shutdowns during the second half of the year.
Delays were reported up to 46 hours at the Tennessee River’s Kentucky Lock. Tows waited up to 21 hours to pass Wilson Lock.
Arkansas River:
Van Buren Bridge repairs scheduled for Aug. 16-Sept. 8 will close the site to navigation. The Corps is reportedly planning a single opening to pass queued vessels sometime after the ninth day of work. The structure is located at Mile 300.8.