US Gulf:
Loading drafts on vessels traveling upriver were reduced by 5% above New Orleans due to low water levels on the Lower Mississippi River.
Guidewall repairs at Bayou Sorrel Lock are projected to limit daytime movements through Oct. 30. Delays topped out around the 22-hour mark during the week, rising from seven hours at last report. Dredging is underway in the New Orleans Harbor through an estimated Aug. 26.
Brazos Lock repairs slated to run through the end of October blocked weekday travel from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wait times topped out around 35 hours, up from a maximum 30 hours reported last week.
Harvey Lock saw intermittent closures from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Aug. 19-21, sources noted, and was scheduled to shut again between 7 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Aug. 22. Reverse head conditions in the forecast for late August could force the lock to shut completely.
Port Allen Lock delays peaked at seven hours early in the week, while wait times at Industrial Lock tracked as high as 12 hours. Intermittent 5-15 hour delays were noted at Algiers Lock, and tows passing Colorado Lock experienced occasional 3-8 hour waits.
Mississippi River:
Draft reductions due to low water levels forced towing cutbacks on the lower river, sources noted. Northbound drafts were reduced by 5% between New Orleans and Cairo, Ill., while 5-10% draft reductions were reported on southbound travel between Cairo and Rosedale, Miss.
Depths at Baton Rouge, La., were posted at 8.6 feet and falling on Aug. 22, with forecasts predicting a 6.0-foot reading on Sept. 5. The gauge at Memphis, Tenn., was expected to fall to (-)4.1 feet on Sept. 5, just above the (-)5-foot low-stage threshold.
Southbound shutdowns for dike work were reported at Mile 759 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily. The work is scheduled through Sept. 18, and no impacts to upriver travel are expected.
A pipeline removal project kicked off at Mile 158 on Aug. 18 and is anticipated through Sept. 24. While no shutdowns were expected, channel restrictions could limit travel while work is underway.
Revetment maintenance at Mile 908 will block southbound travel during daylight hours on Sept. 1-5, while dates for a planned five-day mat-sinking project at Mile 775 were likely to finalize in late August. That effort will also limit daylight-hour movements in the southbound direction while work is underway.
Intermittent 5-13 hour delays were noted at Lock 10 during the week, and intermittent 4-6 hour waits were reported at Lock 22.
Barges loading from NOLA for upper-river ports are largely scheduled to begin final releases in October, sources said. Many tows slated for distribution between Dubuque, Iowa, and St. Paul will see final departures during the first week of October, while tows destined between St. Louis and Clinton, Iowa, will leave NOLA as late as the third week of October. Upper-river locks will close for the winter navigation season between December and March 2025.
Illinois River:
Maximum loading drafts continued to be posted at 9.5 feet for Miles 1-231 and 9.0 feet above Mile 231. Lockport Lock will shut entirely on Jan. 14 through March 11, 2025, for vertical lift gate installation, a Corps posting indicted, interrupting movement to and from the Chicago area.
Ohio River:
Sources reported maximum loading drafts at 10-10.5 feet on the Ohio River, depending on location and direction of travel. Tow lengths were permitted up to 15 barges.
Travel through the main chamber at Markland Lock is unavailable for 19 hours daily through Aug. 30, prompting detours through the secondary chamber. The closures are scheduled to repeat between Sept. 8 through Oct. 6. Wait times were posted up to 11 hours during the week.
The primary chamber at Hannibal Lock is shut for miter gate repairs through Nov. 8, triggering waits up to 23 hours, down from 26 hours at last report. McAlpine Lock was closed to downriver travel from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Nov. 30, with delays noted as high as 15 hours.
The main chamber at John T. Myers Lock closed on Aug. 21. Tows will detour through the site’s smaller secondary chamber through Nov. 9, with long wait times anticipated. Belleville Lock will undergo 30-day main and auxiliary chamber shutdowns before the end of the year, sources said.
Delays were quoted up to 19 hours at Kentucky Lock, on the Tennessee River, while passages ran up to 18 hours at Wilson Lock. Construction at the Monongahela River’s Lock 3 reported to block commercial navigation is scheduled to wrap up on Aug. 25.
Arkansas River:
The Van Buren Bridge, at Mile 300.8 of the Arkansas River, will close for repairs on Aug. 22 through Sept. 8, sources said. A single opening to pass queued vessels is tentatively scheduled following the ninth day of work, though shuttle barges will be able to pass the structure whenever the channel is clear of equipment.
Webbers Falls Lock will shut from Aug. 26 through Sept. 8 for miter gate inspections.