U.S. Gulf:

Colorado Lock delays noted during the week were expected to block navigation from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, through Sept. 9. Corps data reported wait times up to 13.5 hours on Aug. 8.

A dredging project kicked off in mid-July was anticipated to prompt intermittent delays through Aug. 15 at Algiers Lock, Industrial Lock, and Harvey Lock.

Guidewall construction at Bayou Sorrel Lock was projected to limit Monday-through-Friday transit between 6:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., until February 2023. Despite wait times expected up to 12 hours, minimal delays were observed for the week through Aug. 8.

Repairs underway at Bayou Sorrel Bridge required Monday-through-Thursday shutdowns from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., and again from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The project is expected to continue into the second half of August.

A Coast Guard posting attributed a persistent shoaling event for continued 10-foot draft restrictions at Miles 113-117 of the Atchafalaya River after a recent dredging attempt reportedly failed to correct the issue. Tows were also capped at 600-foot lengths, while all tows measuring longer than 400 feet were advised to travel with an assist boat. Width limits were noted at 70 feet.

Underwater pipelines revealed in a recent hydrograph of the Atchafalaya River prompted transit shutdowns at Little Island Pass, Middle Island Pass, and Riverside Pass. Tows could bypass the waterway’s myriad restrictions by detouring through the Port Allen Route.

Unassisted tows locking through Algiers Lock were subject to ongoing length and width restrictions during the week, described as effectively capping tows to four standard barges or two 30,000 mt tankers per turn. Lengthier tows were allowed to lock when accompanied by an assist boat. While most waits were seen topping out around 10.5 hours through the week, a handful of intermittent wait times clocked in above 25 hours on Aug. 7-8, Corps data indicated.

Intermittent travel restrictions at Belle Chasse Bridge were anticipated due to a construction operation scheduled to run through the end of the year. Transit stoppages were described up to 12 hours during the week. Belle Chasse Bridge is located at Mile 3 in the West Canal.

Delays at Port Allen Lock were clocked up to 20 hours through the week. Most tows were reported passing Industrial Lock in under six hours. Intermittent Brazos Lock delays were observed up to 13.5 hours.

Mississippi River:

Reduced river levels continued to impact travel on the middle Mississippi River, while restrictions were easing from Cairo, Ill., to the Gulf due to rainfall on the lower Mississippi River Basin.

Falling levels above Cairo forced a reduction in southbound draft limits to a maximum 10.5 feet, down from 11.5 feet reported previously. Barge counts below Cairo were previously reduced by 10-15%, while drafts were capped at 10.5-12.5 feet, depending on location and direction of travel.

A safety advisory was issued on Aug. 1 at Miles 228-230 of the lower river due to repair work at the I-10 Bridge. The effort is scheduled to run 24 hours per day, seven days per week, through the first half of 2023. In addition to the blanket safety advisory, intermittent transit delays were possible.

Channel work at Miles 336-337, reported halting southbound movements between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. daily, were scheduled to conclude on Aug. 7, sources said. Dredging at Mile 740 was projected to wrap up on Aug. 8, ending a run of daytime navigation outages in the area.

Old River Lock is closed to daytime navigation through Aug. 29, blocking movements daily from 6:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. in preparation for a complete lock closure scheduled for Aug. 30 through Nov. 13. That shutdown, necessary for the installation of a new miter gate, will stop all travel through the site. Tows destined for the Red River will detour through the Atchafalaya River.

Due to the impending shutdown of the upper Mississippi River for the winter navigation season, last-call loading windows for barges releasing from NOLA were heard to land in the second week of October for cargoes destined above Dubuque, Iowa. Barges heading to all points south of Dubuque were expected to continue loading through the third week of October.

Wait times were reported up to 12 hours at Lock 20 during the week. Corps data pegged intermittent Lock 25 delays in the 3-5 hour range. Six-hour wait times were observed at Mel Price Lock.

Illinois River:

Repairs and maintenance in progress at Brandon Road Lock since May 9 are scheduled to continue through Sept. 8, a Corps posting indicated. Transit is restricted to overnight hours only through Aug. 14, after which the site will shut to navigation entirely from Aug. 15 through Sept. 4.

Overnight-only movements will resume at Brandon Road Lock on Sept. 5-8, followed by the return of 24-hour navigation on Sept. 9. A 70-foot width limit is in effect for the entirety of the operation. Most delays were noted topping out around the 20-hour mark during the week, rising from 14 hours reported previously.

Due to low water levels, wickets continued in the raised position at Peoria Lock and LaGrange during the week, prompting vessels to lock through both locations. Average wait times were counted under five hours at both sites. Intermittent delays were heard up to eight hours at Marseilles Lock and dam.

Ohio River:

Miter gate replacement work underway at Cannelton Lock was reported shutting the main chamber through an estimated Nov. 11, prompting tows to pass through the smaller auxiliary chamber. Corps data showed delays in a wide 16-31 hour range, rising from 12-19 hours noted previously.

Miter gate and quoin repair affecting the Hannibal Lock primary chamber is in progress through Oct. 8, limiting tows to passage through the secondary chamber. Minimal delays were reported through the week.

Planned maintenance at Olmsted, underway since July 18, was scheduled to wrap up on Aug. 6, ending a period of alternating closures between the lock’s main and auxiliary chambers.

The Tennessee River’s Kentucky Lock saw most wait times top out around 28 hours during the week. Kentucky Lock is in the midst of a long-term construction effort scheduled to run through 2024. Wilson Lock delays were quoted up to 19.5 hours through the week.

A potential structural issue uncovered at Pickwick Landing Lock in late May was noted forcing all traffic through the secondary chamber until additional inspections are performed. Minimal wait times were reported for the week.

Miter gate machinery repair operations that began on May 16 at the Cumberland River’s Cheatham Lock were scheduled to conclude on Aug. 5, ending a repeating run of alternating 11-days closed, three-days open travel windows.

Arkansas River:

A Norrell Lock daytime travel shutdown was reported in effect through Aug. 10 due to planned maintenance, halting lockages daily from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The outages were scheduled to recur on Aug. 21-Sept. 21; Oct. 20-Nov. 18; Nov. 29-Dec. 23; and Jan. 3-31, 2023. Norrell Lock is scheduled to undergo a complete shutdown from Sept. 30 through Oct. 9.

Planned Joe Hardin Lock repairs will block travel daily from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Sept. 12-19, and again on Sept. 28-29. A complete shutdown is expected on Sept. 30 through Oct. 9.