US Gulf:
Intermittent fog delays slowed movements throughout
the Gulf for up to 12 hours at a stretch during the week. The conditions were
forecast to begin improving on March 8. Emergency repairs at Calcasieu Lock
forced daytime shutdowns on March 2-8, pushing delays to 13 hours.
Unplanned repairs continued at the Black Bayou
Bridge, blocking weekday navigation from 5-8 a.m. and again from 4-7 p.m.
Travel was unavailable on Saturday and Sunday from 6-8 a.m. and 5-7 p.m. No
expected completion date was reported on March 6.
Dive operations that were reportedly limiting
daytime travel through Colorado Lock were expected to wrap up on March 6.
Intermittent delays were noted in a wide 1-4 day range for the week, rising
from 5-23 hours at last report.
Bayou Sorrel Lock guidewall repairs restricted
movements between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, pushing waits as
high as 34 hours. Drawbridge repairs underway at the Ellender Bridge, located
at Mile 243 of the West Canal, will block weekday navigation from 7 a.m. to 5
p.m. through April 12.
Bayou Boeuf Lock repairs previously set for
mid-March were rescheduled for April 1-30, sources said. The project will now
entail weekday shutdowns from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., in addition to a pair of total
navigation outages scheduled for April 2-5 and April 9-12.
Despite a predicted Feb. 29 end to daytime shutdowns
at Brazos Lock, wait times through the site were reported in the 1-3 day range
during the week. Tows were restricted to a single loaded barge or two empty
barges per pass, sources said.
Port
Allen Lock waits ran up to five hours, Corps data indicated, while boats
transiting Industrial Lock waited up to 67 hours to pass. Intermittent
five-hour delays were noted at Algiers Lock.
Mississippi River:
Loading drafts
were reduced by roughly 10% on travel through the St. Louis area, sources said,
while maximum drafts were cut by 5-10% for boats moving between St. Louis and
Cairo, Ill. Reported at 0.7 feet on March 6, the St. Louis river gauge was
forecast to decline to (-)2.4 feet on March 27-29.
Upper
Mississippi River Locks began opening for spring navigation on March 4, sources
said. The final lock is slated to resume lockages on March 16, conditions
permitting. Cargoes destined for upper-river docks began departing from New
Orleans in the second week of February, while upriver tows were expected to
begin releasing from St. Louis during the first two weeks of March.
Delays were
quoted up to eight hours through both Mel Price Lock and Lock 27 during the
week. On the lower river, dredging kicked off in the Southwest Pass on March 3.
Slated to work between Mile 0 and Mile 22, the dredge will operate 24/7 through
an estimated Aug. 31, according to a Coast Guard posting.
Illinois River:
Maximum loading drafts continued at 9-10 feet on the Illinois River, sources said, depending on location and direction of travel. Marseilles Lock travel was unavailable on March 5-6 due to miter gate repairs, prompting 27-hour waits.
Due to low water
levels, wickets remained in the raised position at both Peoria Lock and
LaGrange Lock, resulting in delays of seven hours and 19 hours, respectively.
Boats waited up to seven hours to pass Starved Rock Lock.
Ohio
River:
Meldahl Lock
waits were posted up 27 hours due to an ongoing main chamber shutdown, rising
from 21 hours at last report. Repair efforts could continue through the end of
March, sources said.
Greenup Lock
valve repairs are on the books for March 4 through April 12. Planned
maintenance at Markland Lock and Cannelton Lock will run from April 22 through
June 7 at both sites, while Markland Lock will see an additional shutdown on
June 10-28 for miter gate repairs.
Machinery work at Racine Lock is scheduled
for June 1 through July 11, and dewatering and miter gate work at Hannibal Lock
is likely to delay travel between June 15 and Nov. 7. Belleville Lock will face
nonconcurrent main and auxiliary chamber shutdowns lasting 30 days each during
the second half of the year.
Wait times were
noted up to 19 hours through the Tennessee River’s Kentucky Lock, while tows
waited up to 13 hours to pass Wilson Lock. Old Hickory Lock, on the Cumberland
River, will close to overnight travel on March 18-31, followed by a complete
shutdown running from April 1 through May 9.
Arkansas
River:
Repairs to the Van Buren Bridge are tentatively
scheduled to begin on April 15 and continue for approximately 18 days. Waiting
vessels will be allowed to transit the site on April 24 or 25, sources said.
The bridge is located at Mile 300.8 of the Arkansas River.
