U.S. Gulf:

Wait times were noted up to 42.5 hours for the week at Port Allen Lock due to lingering delays from emergency repairs conducted in the previous week. Waits noted in a wide 5-23 hour range on Feb. 15 were projected to slowly taper in the days ahead.

Guidewall repairs at Industrial Lock concluded on Feb. 11, ending a five-day run of intermittent daylight-hour transit stoppages. Longer-than-usual waits persisted on Feb. 15 due to the shutdown, however. Corps data showed delays up to 25.5 hours on Feb. 15, with 17 tows queued for locking.

Daytime travel shutdowns at Brazos Lock were extended through mid-March, beyond the previously reported late-February end point. Transit through the site was described as unavailable from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Delays in the 8-14 hour range were reported for the week, down from 31.5 hours noted previously.

Labor shortages continued to affect transit operations throughout the Gulf and eastern waterways during the week. Average delivery times were heard increasing by several days as a result.

Bayou Sorrel Lock guidewall demolition, part of a larger repair project scheduled to run through the end of May, was set to end on March 3, with sporadic lock closures expected as a result. Intermittent delays were quoted in the 4-6 hour range for the week.

Weekday lockages through Bayou Boeuf Lock were limited to overnight hours due to maintenance. Locking was available between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Monday through Friday, followed by a resumption of 24-hour transit on Saturday and Sunday. Delays were counted up to 7.5 hours for the week.

Movements continued to be unavailable during overnight hours at Bayou Chene due to floodgate construction, leaving access unavailable nightly between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Navigation was permitted during daylight hours, albeit limited to 600 feet of length, according to Coast Guard documents. Tows measuring wider than 54 feet were required to use an assist vessel. Intermittent delays were expected up to 6-12 hours.

Atchafalaya River drafts were posted at a maximum 10 feet at Miles 113-116 due to shoaling. Vessel lengths were limited to 600 feet due to the conditions, while tows longer than 400 feet were advised to travel with an assist tug. In addition to length restrictions, maximum widths were noted at 70 feet. Vessels were able to circumvent the restrictions by running through the Port Allen Route.

Unassisted Algiers Lock navigation continued to be limited to four standard barges or two 30,000 mt tankers per lockage. Larger passes remained possible when traveling with an assist boat, however.

Belle Chasse Bridge construction activities, projected to continue through late 2022, were likely to trigger intermittent navigation stoppages lasting up to 12 hours at a stretch. The structure is located at Mile 3 in the West Canal.

Mississippi River:

Improving water levels at St. Louis and below allowed for easing draft limitations on the lower Mississippi River during the week. Maximum drafts were heard lifting from the week-ago 9.5-10 feet to the 9.5-12.5 foot range, with northbound tows receiving the strictest draft limits.

The river gauge at St. Louis was posted at 2.17 feet and rising on Feb. 16, while heavy rain in the forecast was projected to spike levels to 12.1 feet on Feb. 19. A flood watch dated Feb. 16 was in effect through Feb. 17 for numerous locations in Illinois and Missouri.

Channel reinforcement work at the lower river’s Mile 642 was extended through March 15 from the previously planned late-February end. Tows traveling in the southbound direction were delayed up to 12 hours at the site, while upbound tows were generally unaffected.

Upper Mississippi River Locks 1-20 remained shut to vessel traffic due to seasonal maintenance that began in November 2021. Backing off from an earlier March 22 extension for the upper river’s spring opening, Locks 15 and 19 are now tentatively slated to resume lockages on March 3, followed by Locks 5A, 8, and 10 on March 17.

Should warmer temperatures prevail, some expect the upper river to begin opening closer to the start of March.

Illinois River:

Improved travel conditions were noted on the Illinois Waterway for the week, allowing for increased barge counts and faster travel times. Ice couplings continued to be required for much of the river, although warmer weather in the extended forecast could render that restriction unnecessary by early March.

Wickets were reported in the raised position at Peoria Lock. Wickets were down at LaGrange Lock, however, allowing for lockless navigation through that site. Navigation was reported to resume through O’Brien Lock during the week.

Starved Rock Lock delays were counted up to eight hours for the week, while 4-7 hour wait times were seen through Peoria Lock. The Corps noted 3-7 hour crossings at LaGrange Lock.

Brandon Road Lock is scheduled to undergo a repair and maintenance project from May 9 through Aug. 14. Restrictions will be in place during the work, with overnight-only navigation and widths capped at 70 feet. Navigation will stop completely from Aug. 15 through Sept. 4, while overnight-only lockages will resume on Sept. 5-8. Twenty-four-hour movements are slated to resume on Sept. 9.

Ohio River:

Transit resumed for the week at Newburgh Lock after a number of loose barges were successfully corralled after shutting the site one week earlier. Delays were reported at 24 hours or more immediately following the lock’s reopening.

Cannelton Lock repairs that began on Jan. 26 were noted impacting daytime movements through the site, specifically on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The project is slated to run through May 26.

Primary chamber work at Emsworth Lock is scheduled to begin on Feb. 22, forcing movements through the auxiliary chamber, limited to one barge per turn. Extensive delays were expected while work is underway, currently anticipated through April 16.

Dashields Lock auxiliary chamber shutdowns continued for the week due to an underwater obstruction, relegating movements to the primary chamber. The main chamber is scheduled to close for planned maintenance on March 7-31, after which the auxiliary chamber will shut on April 1-22 for repairs.

Belleville Lock is slated to close to navigation from May 2 through June 22 due to repairs and maintenance. Traffic will lock through the secondary chamber while the project is underway.

The Hannibal Lock auxiliary chamber was reported closed through the end of the month. The site’s primary chamber is scheduled to go offline from July 5 through Oct. 8 for repairs. Proposed Cannelton Lock maintenance would run from July 5 through Nov. 11, limiting primary chamber access.

The Tennessee River’s Kentucky Lock is closed for repairs through Feb. 24, according to a Corps posting. Vessels were noted detouring through Barkley Lock while work is underway, adding roughly1-2 days of travel in each direction.

Main chamber work at Wilson Lock will limit lockages through the secondary chamber from Feb. 23 through April 28, prompting expected delays up to seven days or more. The Corps has scheduled a single relief opening to pass waiting vessels on March 18-23. Intermittent Wilson Lock delays were reported up to 35.5 hours for the week.

On the Cumberland River, Bio-Acoustic Fish Fence (BAFF) maintenance and inspections will shut Barkley Lock between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. daily on March 21-27, according to a Corps notice. Detours will be available via Barkley Lock and Kentucky Lock.

Cheatham Lock is scheduled to undergo large-scale shutdowns from May 31 through Aug. 5 for miter gate machinery repairs. Intermittent lock openings are likely during the closure.