US Gulf:

The West Canal’s Harvey Lock remained offline for the week due to reverse head conditions. Service has been unavailable since June 15, according to reports.

BNSF railroad bridge repairs in the Morgan City, La., area were pushed back to early September, sources said. The four-week project was previously set to begin on July 17. Algiers Lock will undergo a 45-60 day travel shutdown in the fourth quarter to repair damage sustained in July. No dates for the project were available on July 27.

Sources noted daytime shutdowns at Bayou Sorrel Lock due to guidewall repairs. Travel will be impacted daily from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. through March 2024. Delays were clocked up to 23 hours during the week. A full 18-hour shutdown is expected in early August.

Daytime navigation through Leland Bowman Lock was unavailable for the week due to chamber wall repairs that kicked off on July 18, triggering wait times up to nine hours. The lock, located at Mile 163 in the West Canal, will close between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. daily through July 31.

Brazos Lock repairs scheduled to begin on July 31 will block weekday travel between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., sources said. The work was previously scheduled to start on July 24.

Tows passing Port Allen Lock faced intermittent 5-25 hour delays during the week. Industrial Lock waits were reported in the 7-19 hour range, while 10-hour waits were noted at Algiers Lock on July 27.

Mississippi River:   

Sources noted tightening draft restrictions on the Mississippi River due to low water levels.

Drafts for barges loading at St. Louis were reduced to 9.0 feet, off 20-25% from typical levels, while barge counts were cut by 20% on travel between St. Louis and Cairo, Ill. A mix of low water levels, dredging, and reduced travel speeds triggered congestion in the St. Louis harbor area, sources said, delaying arrivals and departures.

On the lower river, loading drafts were reduced by 15-20% on northbound movements, while drafts were slashed by 10-15% for tows moving downriver. Barge counts were cut by 15-25% from normal levels, depending on vessel horsepower, impacting delivery times by 24-48 hours.

The St. Louis river gauge was posted at (-)1.17 feet and falling on July 27. Levels were forecast to recede to (-)2.70 feet on Aug. 10. Favorable weather lifted the Memphis, Tenn., gauge to a 4.76-foot crest on July 24. Memphis returned a 1.74-foot reading on July 27, however, while forecasts predicted a (-)4.90-foot reading on Aug. 10. The low stage at Memphis begins at (-)5.0 feet. Heat advisories were in effect at both St. Louis and Memphis during the week.

A 36-hour travel shutdown was reported at the lower river’s Mile 780 starting on July 24 due to dredging. Rolling 24-hour shutdowns were anticipated during the roughly weeklong project. On the upper river, dredging slowed travel speeds and limited docking availability at Mile 171 in the St. Louis harbor area, while dredging at Mile 2 was scheduled to wrap up on July 27.

Work at Old River Lock, located at Mile 305 of the lower river, was expected to close the site to navigation on July 31-Aug. 3, Aug. 14-17, and Aug. 21-24. The project began on July 10.

Illinois River:

Due to lower water levels, sources continued to note a 5% reduction in loading drafts on the Illinois River. Wickets remained in the raised position at Peoria Lock and LaGrange Lock, forcing lockages at both locations. Wait times at Starved Rock Lock were posted up to 14.5 hours for the week.

Planned shutdowns at Brandon Road Lock, Dresden Island Lock, and Marseilles Lock are set to continue through approximately Oct. 1, effectively closing the river to commercial navigation.

Ohio River:

Sources continued to note maximum loading drafts at 10.0-10.5 feet on the Ohio River. Draft limits for the Monongahela River, reported at critical flow stages during the week, were set at 8.5 feet.

The John T. Meyers Lock main chamber is shut through Aug. 20 for repairs to the floating mooring system. The site’s auxiliary chamber will close to navigation on Aug. 21-Sept. 10 for miter gate repairs, followed by an additional main chamber shutdown on Sept. 11-Nov. 17. The primary chamber at Greenup Lock is closed to navigation until Aug. 14, forcing detours through the secondary chamber.

Assist boats were required on southbound transits through Smithland Lock due to strong outflows, sources said. The land chamber at Smithland will close for miter gate repairs between Sept. 22 and Oct. 21, while the river chamber will be offline Oct. 22-Nov. 20 for machinery replacement.

Intermittent 5-15 hour waits were reported at the Tennessee River’s Kentucky Lock. Wilson Lock delays topped out at 12.5 hours during the week.