US Gulf:
Transit
remained unavailable through Harvey Lock due to reverse head conditions, a
result of low water levels on the Lower Mississippi River. Guidewall repairs at
Bayou Sorrel Lock shut the site from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily, triggering
delays up to 21 hours. The project is scheduled to run through March 2024.
Repairs
at Brazos Lock closed the lock to
navigation between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. daily through an estimated Nov. 29.
Intermittent delays were reported in a wide 5-23 hour range. Dredging at
Bayou Chene, scheduled through Nov. 30, prompted slow-travel warnings in the
area.
Emergency
end gate work at Algiers Lock, needed to repair damage from a vessel collision
in July, kicked off on Oct. 2, closing the lock to navigation through an
estimated Dec. 1. Alternate routes are expected to add 24 hours or more to
travel times.
Corps
data showed delays up to 24.5 hours at Port Allen Lock on Oct. 5. Industrial
Lock passages required up to 11 hours, while intermittent 6-13 hour waits were
recorded at Colorado Lock.
Mississippi
River:
Low water levels
prompted a 30-35% reduction in loading drafts through the St. Louis area, while
tows moving between St. Louis and Cairo, Ill., saw 5-10% reductions in loading
weight. Towing widths were reduced to a maximum of four barges between St.
Louis and Cairo.
Loading drafts
on northbound tows running between NOLA and Cairo were slashed by 25-30%,
depending on horsepower, while barge loadings were reduced by 20-25% on
southbound travel. Sources noted nine-foot depth readings in some locations,
contributing to the tight restrictions. In addition, barge counts were reduced
by 15-40% per string on the lower river, depending on location and horsepower,
resulting in 48-72 hour delays.
The Vicksburg,
Miss., river gauge was posted nearly four feet below the area’s low-stage
threshold on Oct. 5, at 0.55 feet and holding steady. The Memphis, Tenn., gauge
returned a low-stage (-)9.28-foot reading, while the St. Louis gauge was
reported at (-)1.1 feet and falling at midweek.
A grounded
vessel forced a halt to navigation at the lower river’s Mile 584 on Oct. 4,
sources said. Dredging was underway at Miles 742, 621, and 541, prompting
intermittent 24-hour shutdowns. Sources reported channel work at Mile 7 of the
upper river, while a barge working on the Illinois River during the week was
expected to move to Miles 221-225 of the upper Mississippi soon.
Upper-river
locks are scheduled to shut for the winter navigation season between Dec. 5 and
March 11, 2024. Final loadings from NOLA were expected to depart in the first
week of October for tows traveling to Clinton, Iowa, or above, while loads
destined for locations south of Clinton were projected to load through the
third week of October. Locks 18-27 are likely to remain open throughout the
winter, sources said.
Illinois
River:
Loading drafts
were reduced by 5-10% on the Illinois Waterway due to low river levels, and
sources noted dredging underway at Miles 74-75. Wickets were raised at Peoria
Lock and LaGrange Lock, forcing delays up to five hours.
A 120-day repair
project comprising Brandon Road Lock, Dresden Island Lock, and
Marseilles Lock has concluded, sources said. All of the affected locks had been
reopened during the week, although sources reported widespread congestion and
lengthy delays on Oct. 5, including waits up to 32 hours at Marseilles and 59
hours at Starved Rock.
Ohio
River:
Ohio River loading
drafts continued to see reductions in the 10-15% range. Monongahela River
drafts were restricted to 8.5 feet, sources said.
Dredging at
Miles 967-975 was set to continue through Oct. 10, more than two weeks beyond
the previous Sept. 24 scheduled end. Boats traveling downriver were permitted
to transit the area during daytime hours, while northbound tows passed
overnight.
The John T.
Myers Lock main chamber is closed through Nov. 17 for repairs and maintenance,
prompting boats to detour through the secondary chamber. Delays were posted up
to 44 hours for the week.
The Montgomery
Lock auxiliary chamber is shut through Oct. 17. Following the current closure,
the main chamber is scheduled to go offline on Oct. 17-Nov. 22 and Nov. 26-Dec.
22, while the auxiliary chamber will see an additional shutdown on Nov. 22-26.
The land chamber
at Smithland Lock is shut through Oct. 21 for repairs and maintenance. The
river chamber is due to close Oct. 22 through Nov. 20. Boats traveling
southbound through Smithland were required to lock with an assist boat because
of unpredictable outflows.
On the Tennessee River, Kentucky Lock delays were
posted up to 12 hours, while boats transiting Wilson Lock waited up to 26 hours
to pass.
