U.S. Gulf:

A complete daylight-hour shutdown was reported at the Colorado Locks system between Feb. 25 and March 5. Transit was unavailable daily from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. while work was underway.

Towing restrictions continued at Port Allen Lock due to guidewall damage sustained during a January barge collision, sources reported. Westbound tows with loads totaling two or more barges were required to make use of an assist vessel, while boats traveling westward with one barge or fewer in tow were permitted to lock without assistance. Eastbound tows totaling 650 feet or longer were required to lock with an assist vessel. Intermittent delays were quoted in the 3-9 hour range for the week, easing considerably from the prior week’s 7-32 hours.

Restrictions also remained in effect on travel through Algiers Lock. Tows with widths measuring above 60 feet were limited to 600-foot lengths, while sub-60-foot tows were allowed up to 700-foot lengths. Sources described the constraints as effectively capping unassisted tows at four standard barges or two 30,000 mt tankers per turn, although longer crossings were possible with an assist vessel. Delays peaked at approximately six hours on March 2.

Rigolets Bridge repair underway through March 12 was reported limiting movements to and from the Pearl River to three openings per day, scheduled for 5:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 9:30 p.m. The 1930s-era structure is located in the East Canal. Delays were reported.

Shippers noted persistent overnight fog delays earlier in the week, with tows in the Gulf and Canals suffering nightly 10-12 hour delays. In addition to impeded travel, the limited visibility was impacted loading and unloading operations throughout the Gulf. The fog lifted on March 2, but high wind and rough seas persisted through March 4.

High water conditions predicted by the National Weather Service (NWS) may spark fresh towing restrictions in the Gulf, starting in mid-March. The Baton Rouge, La., river gauge was forecast to rise above the 30-foot action stage on March 11, climbing to approximately 31.8 feet by March 16.

Industrial Lock waits were quoted in the 11-26 hour range for the week, while sources noted Calcasieu Lock crossings at eight hours. Brazos Lock wait times were heard at five hours or less on March 2.

Mississippi River:

Sources reported a transit shutdown at Miles 833-840 on the lower Mississippi River in late February. Limited movements resumed on Feb. 28, although intermittent delays were expected through March 2 due to salvage efforts.

An additional brief closure was reported at Miles 799-804 in the early morning of March 2 after a barge made contact with the riverbank. Movements were restored later that afternoon.

Rising water levels and warming temperatures at St. Louis allowed for easing restrictions between St. Louis and Cairo, Ill., sources said. The NWS gauge at St. Louis crested at 13.46 feet on March 1 after posting a 0.03-foot reading only one week earlier.

Dike work remains on the short-term docket at the lower river’s Mile 770. The month-long project was previously expected to kick off in late February, but was pushed back to early March due to inclement weather. The project is scheduled to block movements daily from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. while underway.

Lock 21 is scheduled to shut for repairs on March 8-12. Delays were quoted up to six hours at Lock 27.

Most upper river locks remained offline for seasonal repairs and maintenance during the week. Locks 13, 14, 15, and 19 are currently scheduled to begin opening for spring navigation on March 15, while Lock 25 is tentatively set to resume lockages on March 25, according to a Corps posting.

Illinois River:

Improved ice conditions allowed for the tentative resumption of navigation on much of the Illinois Waterway during the week, sources confirmed, although high water reported between Starved Rock Lock and Lockport Lock effectively shut down travel between those locations.

Activity on the unaffected portions of the river was expected to slowly ramp up throughout the week, although delays and slow travel speeds were anticipated.

Lockport Lock was shut to navigation between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on March 3 for dive operations. The Corps lowered wickets at Peoria Lock and LaGrange Lock due to elevated water levels, allowing tows to transit both sites without locking. Sources quoted 3-6 hour delays through Marseilles Lock.

Ohio River:

Heavy ice floes and high water disrupted operations at a number of Ohio River locks during the week. Among the impacted sites were Greenup Lock and R.C. Byrd Lock, both reported closed to navigation on March 3.

Additional impacts included daylight-only southbound travel restrictions through Racine Lock, Cincinnati Harbor, and Louisville Harbor, sources said.

The primary chamber at Meldahl Lock is projected to shut from April 12 to June 11 for miter gate machinery repairs. Traffic will pass through the site’s 600-foot auxiliary chamber while work is in progress, with delays expected.

The Markland Lock secondary chamber is closed to navigation through an estimated Oct. 29 due to structural damage to the chamber’s miter gate, sources said.

Smithland Lock has entered the second half of a two-month auxiliary chamber repair project. One of the site’s two backup chambers was reported closed through approximately April 1 for maintenance and repairs. Traffic has continued unobstructed through the primary chamber since the project’s Feb. 1 start.

The New Cumberland Lock secondary chamber was scheduled to shut from March 8 through June 10 for repairs and maintenance. Boats will be free to pass through the primary chamber for the duration of the project.

Greenup Lock was closed to vessels on March 3 due to heavy ice accumulation. The site’s primary chamber is shut through a scheduled March 11 for miter gate machinery repairs, sources said. Following the main chamber project, the auxiliary chamber is projected to go offline from March 11 through April 11.

The Cannelton Lock main chamber is scheduled to shut from June 21 through Nov. 19 for repairs and maintenance. Sources are predicting lengthy delays. Increased flows continued to permit lockless travel at Olmsted Lock.

On the Tennessee River, sources reported daytime-only travel restrictions at Mile 100 due to high water and unpredictable currents. Kentucky Lock delays were posted up to 33 hours on Feb. 27-28 before falling below five hours later in the week.

The Cumberland River’s Cheatham Lock was reportedly closed to navigation earlier in the week due to flooding. Sources expected operations to resume on March 5.

Cheatham Lock is scheduled for a main chamber shutdown from April 12 through June 21 for repairs. The lock will be opened four times during the project to pass waiting vessels, sources said. Barkley Lock will shut to daylight navigation from March 22 to April 2 for bio-acoustic fish fence (BAFF) repairs.

Arkansas River:

Sporadic shutdowns were expected at the Arkansas River’s Lock 3 on March 1-11, prefacing a full shutdown of the site scheduled for March 12-20. Located below Little Rock, Ark., the project will block access to Little Rock and above while underway.

Looking further ahead, Lock 6 is projected to shut from Aug. 27 through Sept. 9 for dewatering and repairs.