US Gulf:

Maintenance at Calcasieu Lock, in progress since Jan. 30, was scheduled to run through March 3. Intermittent delays at the site were reported up to 23 hours during the week.

Sources continued to expect Algiers Lock repairs to kick off before the end of February and last for roughly seven weeks. Approximately 20 days of daylight-hour shutdowns are expected during the project. Delays were noted up to 22 hours through the week, down from 32 hours reported previously.

Colorado Lock maintenance and repairs, scheduled to last through March 10, were heard to restrict lock access daily between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Wait times were counted up to seven hours on Feb. 21.

Navigation through the Belle Chasse Bridge was reportedly unavailable from 6:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Feb. 20 and 22 due to ongoing bridge replacement work. More daytime closures are scheduled for Feb. 24, 28, and March 2, with additional shutdowns expected in late March and April. The bridge is located at Mile 3.8 of the Algiers Canal.

Delays at Port Allen Lock were reported up to nine hours during the week, while wait times of 42 hours were observed at Industrial Lock. Brazos Lock passages were seen as high as 13 hours.

Bayou Boeuf Lock maintenance was heard to conclude on Feb. 16, capping off a period weekday navigation shutdowns.

Mississippi River:

Rising water levels were reported on the lower Mississippi River.

A Flood Warning was in effect for the Mississippi River at Vicksburg on Feb. 21-22, one week after a similar warning was posted for the Feb. 15-20 period. Levels at the site were predicted to peak at 33.5 feet on March 3-5, below the area’s 35-foot Action Stage. The NWS expected Baton Rouge levels to climb above that gauge’s 30.0-foot Action Stage on March 6-8, to at least 30.2 feet.

The primary chambers at Mel Price Lock and Chain of Rocks Lock are closed to navigation through March 31 and March 17, respectively. Transit has remained available through the secondary chambers at both locations. Corps data put Mel Price delays up to nine hours, while vessels waited up to 16 hours to transit Chain of Rocks.

Upper river locks currently closed for winter maintenance are scheduled to begin reopening to navigation on Feb. 26. Lock 24, shut since Jan. 12 for miter gate repairs, as well as Lock. 25, closed for lower guidewall cribbing, are due to reopen first. Mel Price Lock is slated to be the last to return to service, on March 31. Barges loading from NOLA for destinations above Clinton, Iowa, were expected to be begin releasing in the last two weeks of February.

Illinois River:

Sources noted rising-water conditions on the Illinois Waterway during the week, although no navigation restrictions were reported on Feb. 22. Wickets were reported in the lowered position at both LaGrange Lock and Peoria Lock, allowing boats to pass both sites without locking. Corps data put wait times at nine hours through each location.

Delays were reported up to seven hours at Marseilles Lock during the week. Starting in June, large-scale lock repairs and maintenance will force the Illinois River to effectively close to commercial navigation for 120 days. Normal movements are expected to resume in October.

Ohio River:

High flows and dangerous drift conditions were reported on the Ohio River due to quickly rising water levels. Towing capacity for boats traveling in the southbound direction was reduced by 5-10% as a result, although the restrictions were expected to be short-lived.

The secondary chambers at Bellville Lock and Racine Lock are scheduled to return from repairs and maintenance on Feb. 26, after which Racine Lock will enter a main chamber shutdown scheduled to last through March 12. Racine Lock waits were noted up to nine hours through the week.

JT Meyers Lock floating mooring repairs are scheduled to continue through Aug. 20, with intermittent main chamber closures expected. Following the current repair shutdown, the site’s auxiliary chamber will shut Aug. 21 through Sept. 10 for miter gate repairs, after which the main chamber will shut once again from Sept. 11 to Nov. 17. Delays at the site topped out at 5.5 hours on Feb. 22.

The main chamber at Dashields Lock returned from a three-day shutdown on Feb. 18. The Hannibal Lock primary chamber closed to navigation on Feb. 20, resulting in delays up to 12 hours for the week. Work at Hannibal is scheduled to wrap up on April 7.

The main chamber at Greenup Lock is due to close March 12 through April 12 for maintenance and repairs. At Melville Lock, the auxiliary chamber is projected to shut April 17 through Aug. 4.

Corps data put Cannelton Lock waits up to 11 hours on Feb. 22. On the Tennessee River, wait times at Kentucky Lock were recorded in a wide 5-22 hour range. Boats transiting Wilson Lock were delayed up to 20 hours.