U.S. Gulf:

Work in progress at Colorado Lock was expected to shutter navigation from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, until Sept. 9. Intermittent delays were noted in a wide 5-20 hour range through the week.

A dredging operation running on a 24-hour schedule since July 13 was expected to wrap up on Aug. 15. The effort was noted impacting travel through Algiers Lock, Industrial Lock, and Harvey Lock.

Guidewall replacement work that restarted on Aug. 1 at Bayou Sorrel Lock was projected to limit Monday-through-Friday lockages between 6:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The operation was loosely scheduled to run into February 2023. Waits were posted up to 11.5 hours early in the week.

Bayou Sorrel Bridge repairs that resumed in early July were expected to block Monday-through-Thursday transit between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., as well as 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., through the second half of August.

Draft limits persisted at Miles 113-117 of the Atchafalaya River due to “extensive” shoaling in the Morgan City, La., area, particularly at Miles 115.5-117, a Coast Guard safety bulletin indicated. Drafts were restricted to a maximum 10 feet through the area, while tow lengths and widths were limited to 600 feet and 70 feet, respectively. Tows measuring longer than 400 feet were advised to travel with an assist vessel.

Following a recent hydrograph of the Atchafalaya River, navigation was made completely unavailable through Little Island Pass, Middle Island Pass, and Riverside Pass due to the discovery of potentially hazardous underwater pipes. Tows can bypass the river’s restrictions via a detour through the Port Allen Route.

Length and width restrictions continued on unassisted passes through Algiers Lock, capping lockages to four standard barges or two 30,000 mt tankers per turn. Larger passes were possible when utilizing an assist boat. Delays were noted topping out at around 6.5 hours early in the week.

An ongoing construction project at the Belle Chasse Bridge, scheduled to continue through the end of the year, prompted expectations of intermittent wait times lasting up to 12 hours. The bridge is located at the West Canal’s Mile 3.

Port Allen Lock waits were observed up to nine hours during the week. While most Industrial Lock wait times were noted at 4-10 hours, intermittent delays were seen spiking up to 24-28 hours. Waits topped out around five hours through Brazos Lock.

Mississippi River:

Hot weather returned to the lower Mississippi River during the week, slowing some outdoor commercial navigation-related activities such as barge loading and maintenance. A heat advisory on Aug. 17 warned of a 110-degree heat index for parts of northeastern Louisiana and central Mississippi.

Bank-grading activities in progress since early July at Miles 336-344 were heard blocking most southbound travel through the area daily from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Vessels were assessed for possible daytime travel on a case-by-case basis.

Repairs to the I-10 bridge underway at Miles 228-230 triggered a blanket safety advisory for all boats passing the area. Intermittent navigation stoppages were also possible. The project was expected to run seven days per week through June 2023.

Old River Lock, located at Mile 305 on the lower river, was reported shut to daytime navigation through Aug. 29, blocking travel daily between 6:00 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. The shutdowns were described as a precursor to planned miter gate installation scheduled for Aug. 30 through Nov. 13. That shutdown will block all navigation through the site, forcing tows looking to access the Red River to detour through the Atchafalaya River while the project is underway.

Final loading windows for barges departing from NOLA for upper-river destinations were generally slated for October, sources indicated. Final tows destined for Dubuque, Iowa, and above were expected to release in the second week of October, while loads heading south of Dubuque were expected to see final departures in the third week of October.

Illinois River:

Repairs begun on May 9 and scheduled through Sept. 8 at Brandon Road Lock significantly impacted movements through the site. Lockages were limited to overnight hours only through Aug. 14.

Starting on the morning of Aug. 15, the site was closed to all traffic until Sept. 4. Overnight-only travel is scheduled to resume on Sept. 5-8, after which standard operating hours will return on Sept. 9. A 70-foot width limit is in effect for the entirety of the operation. Prior to the Aug. 15 shutdown, delays were reported up to 48 hours.

Wickets were reported in the raised position at both Peoria Lock and LaGrange Lock during the week, necessitating lockages through the site. Delays were noted up to 15.5 hours at Peoria, while minimal waits were reported at LaGrange. Marseilles Lock waits ranged from 2-5 hours through the week.

Ohio River:

The Cannelton Lock main chamber is reportedly shut for repairs and maintenance from July 5 until Nov. 11, triggering passages through the site’s auxiliary chamber. Most tows require at least two passes to clear the lock, resulting in wait times of 12-15 hours on Aug. 17, Corps data indicated. Sporadic delays were shown as high as 23.5 hours.

Repairs to the Hannibal Lock primary chamber miter gate and quoin, in progress since July 5, necessitated a complete main chamber shutdown, prompting detours through the secondary chamber until Oct. 8. The operation resulted in minimal delays during the week.

Intermittent six-hour delays were reported at R.C. Byrd Lock during the week.

Wait times at the Tennessee River’s Kentucky Lock peaked at 40 hours on Aug. 13-15. Daylight-only restrictions reported on southbound travel through Wilson Lock prompted delays up to 11 hours, according to Corps data.

The Pickwick Lock main chamber is reportedly shut to navigation due to a potential structural issue discovered in May, forcing tows to pass through the secondary chamber. Nominal delays were reported through the week.

Arkansas River:

Daylight-hour travel shutdowns at Norrell Lock were scheduled to resume on Aug. 21 and run through Sept. 21, leaving travel unavailable daily from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. during that time. The travel outages are due to repeat on Oct. 20-Nov. 18; Nov. 29-Dec. 23; and Jan. 3-31, 2023. Navigation will be completely unavailable between Sept. 30 and Oct. 9.

Joe Hardin Lock will close to transit from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Sept. 12-19, and again on Sept. 28-29. Navigation through the site is scheduled to be completely unavailable Sept. 20 through Oct. 9.