U.S. Gulf:

Industrial Lock was reported shut for emergency repairs on June 9, with few delays reported. Earlier repair estimates pegged at several days would have triggered massive transit headaches in the region.

Daylight-hour travel restrictions at Calcasieu Lock were extended through late August, shutting down Monday-through-Thursday navigation between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Work at the site was noted kicking off on March 22. Corps data showed delays in a general 3-11 hour range during the week.

Port Allen Lock valve repair was completed as scheduled on June 7, sources said, ending an eight-day operation begun on May 31 that triggered delays up to 36 hours. Lengthy waits persisted through the site during the early week, Corps data indicated, with 11 queued vessels reported waiting up to 25 hours to lock on June 13. Some tows were noted rerouting to Algiers Lock while the project was underway, swelling delays at that location as well.

Elevated water levels in the West Canal were noted temporarily pausing a guidewall replacement project underway at Bayou Sorrel Lock. The effort, kicked off on March 17, will block navigation daily between 6:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. while work is underway. Construction is scheduled to run through February 2023.

Brazos Lock is closed to daytime travel weekly on Monday through Friday due to repairs in progress through June 30. Passage was unavailable 7:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m., prompting delays in a wide 10-23 hour range. Normal movements were noted resuming on Saturdays and Sundays.

Shoaling reported at Miles 113-116 continued to impact Atchafalaya River travel during the week, a Coast Guard posting indicated, with 10-foot maximum draft limits in place on travel through the Morgan City area. In addition, tows were limited to 600-foot lengths, while strings measuring longer than 400 feet were advised to travel with an assist tug. Width limits of 70 feet were noted in effect. Tows were able to bypass the restrictions by traveling through the Port Allen Route, the Coast Guard advised.

Unassisted lockages continued to face length and width restrictions at Algiers Lock, effectively limiting tows to four standard barges or two 30,000 mt tankers per turn. Larger tows could lock when traveling with an assist tug. The restrictions, in addition to tows reportedly rerouted through Algiers due to long delays at Port Allen Lock, pushed wait times as high as 50 hours for the week.

Ongoing intermittent travel restrictions at Belle Chasse Bridge, attributable to construction work scheduled through the end of the year, were noted running up to 12 hours at a time. Belle Chasse Bridge is located at Mile 3 in the West Canal.

Delays at Industrial Lock were reported in a wide 8-33 hour range. Intermittent 4-9 hour delays were observed at the Colorado Locks system through the early week.

Mississippi River:

A heatwave working its way across the U.S. during the week was impacting river operations, effecting limited delays to commercial travel, infrastructure repair and maintenance efforts, and loading and unloading operations. An excessive heat warning was in place for the Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys on June 15. The warning was slated to expire at 8 p.m. CDT on June 16.

Travel restrictions were much improved on the lower river, with the waterway’s primary National Weather Service gauges showing levels below action stage during the week. Sources kept an eye on Vicksburg gauge, however, which returned a 34.5-foot reading on June 15, just shy of the 35-foot action stage threshold.

Old River Lock, the Red River’s primary access point from the Mississippi river, is scheduled to shut Aug. 30 through Nov. 13 for miter gate installation and lock chamber repairs, blocking all movement through the site. Vessels wishing to access the Red River will be recommended to detour through the Atchafalaya River, sources said. Old River Lock is located at Mile 305 on the lower river.

Rock-laying work begun on May 10 at the lower river’s Mile 807 was scheduled to conclude on June 10, ending a period of daytime blockages to southbound navigation.

Salvage operations near the upper river’s Mile 49 forced towing limits of 20-30 barges, dependent on vessel horsepower and travel direction. The effort, necessary to retrieve a barge reported sinking onsite in mid-May, was expected to run into late June.

Wait times were observed up to 11 hours at Lock 14 during the week. Intermittent Lock 25 delays were noted in an 8-29 hour range, while Mel Price Lock passages were clocked up to 10.5 hours on June 15. Boats transiting Lock 27 required up to six hours to pass.

Illinois River:

Repairs and maintenance underway since May 9 at Brandon Road Lock are set to impact navigation through Sept. 8, a Corps posting indicated. Passage through the site is currently restricted to overnight hours, as well as limited to 70-foot widths, until Aug. 14. Brandon Road will completely close to navigation Aug. 15 through Sept. 4, after which traffic patterns will return to overnight-only on Sept. 5-8. Normal 24-hour operation is scheduled to return on Sept. 9. Delays were noted up to 12.5 hours during the week.

Wickets continued to be reported in the raised position at Peoria Lock, prompting another week of lockages through that location. Wickets remained down at LaGrange Lock, however, allowing tows to transit without delay via the navigational pass.

Ohio River:

The Belleville Lock main chamber was noted closed to navigation May 1 through June 29 for repairs and maintenance, necessitating detours through the auxiliary chamber. Waiting was reported in a wide 11-41 hour range, expanding from 12-36 hours reported previously. Both the site’s main and auxiliary chambers will be closed entirely to navigation on June 22-24.

Greenup Lock repairs, also noted in progress for the week, were scheduled to follow a similar schedule to Belleville Lock. The Greenup main chamber is closed to navigation through June 29, prompting tows to pass through the auxiliary chamber instead. Corps data described waits in a 3-11 hour range, below 5-16 hours in the prior report.

The Cannelton Lock main chamber is scheduled to shut July 5 through Nov. 11 for chamber gate replacement, forcing tows to pass through the smaller secondary chamber. The secondary chamber was reported shut May 2 through July 1 for anchor arm replacement.

Planned Hannibal Lock primary chamber maintenance remained at the proposal stage during the week, sources indicated. If adopted, the Hannibal main chamber will close to navigation July 5 through Oct. 8.Montgomery Lock delays peaked at eight hours on June 14-15.

A sunken barge reported that the Tennessee River’s Kentucky Lock on June 11 forced a closure of the site, sources said. Salvage operations were due to begin as early as June 14, while tows were noted detouring through the Cumberland River, adding approximately 24 hours to travel times.

Wilson Lock delays were counted up to 12 hours, a decline from 59 hours reported previously.

Miter gate machinery repairs kicked off May 16 at the Cumberland River’s Cheatham Lock were expected to continue through Aug. 5. During that time, the lock is scheduled to follow a two-week pattern of 11 days closed, three days open, repeating through the project’s completion. Extensive delays were predicted.

Barkley Lock delays were seen up to 25 hours for the week, reportedly due to the deluge of vessels rerouted from Kentucky Lock.

Arkansas River:

Norrell Lock will close to daylight navigation on June 22-July 21 for planned maintenance, stopping travel daily between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. The closures are scheduled to repeat on Aug. 1-10, Aug. 21-Sept. 21; Oct. 20-Nov. 18; Nov. 29-Dec. 23; and Jan. 3-31, 2023. Norrell is anticipated to undergo a complete shutdown running Sept. 30 through Oct. 9.

Repairs planned at Joe Hardin Lock will close that site to travel from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., on Sept. 12-19. In additional, the lock will undergo a total shutdown from Sept. 20 until Oct. 9, a Corps posting indicated.