U.S. Gulf: Shipping operators quoted Algiers Lock delays in the 2-5 hour range for the week. Waiting at Bayou Sorrel Lock averaged three hours with four boats queued, and Port Allen Lock navigation fell in the 1-2 hour range.
Repairs and nearby bridge work continued to complicate Industrial Lock transit, stretching delays to 14-17 hours. Claiborne Avenue Bridge repairs restricted Inner Harbor Navigation Canal access to nighttime hours only. Guidewall work at the lock itself coincided with the bridge closure and limited locking to overnight hours. Repairs to the lock were scheduled to conclude July 28, though no estimated completion date for the bridge has been announced, shippers said.
Industrial Lock is slated to go offline Aug. 1 for major repairs. The Corps will route traffic through Bayou Baptiste Collette, where dredging was underway last week in preparation for the expected rush of traffic. Industrial Lock is scheduled to reopen on or around Nov. 29.
The Coast Guard closed the Houston Ship Channel following a sulfur dioxide leak at the Pasadena Refinery in Galena Park, Texas, on July 25. The channel was reopened after a 2.5-hour wait, sources said.
The Corps reported Brazos Lock restrictions, with locking limited to a single loaded barge or two empties per turn. Shippers estimated delays of up to eight hours with 10 vessels in line for service. Repairs and pipeline dredging closed the Brazos River Floodgates to overnight transit July 18 through Aug. 17.
Colorado Lock waits were reported at about an hour.
Lower Mississippi River: Stack Island dyke work, slated to kick off Sept. 15, is likely to trigger transit delays in the Lake Providence area, shippers said. The project is scheduled to run through the end of December.
Vicksburg depths were reported at 17.92 feet on July 28. Levels were forecast to begin rising on July 29-30, climbing to 19.3 feet on Aug. 1.
Upper Mississippi River: Twin Cities-area navigation remains possible following a round of heavy rains noted at last report, although the elevated water levels slowed both loading and transit, sources said. Congestion in the area further slowed navigation.
The St. Paul gauge crested just below the 10-foot action stage on July 23-24 before falling to 8.79 feet on July 28. The NWS expected declining levels to reach 5.6 feet on Aug. 3. Wabasha levels were pegged at 10.6 feet on July 28, higher than the 10-foot action stage, with expectations of a 9.4-foot reading on Aug. 3.
Mel Price Lock delays averaged four hours for the week, and Corps data showed seven vessels queued for service on July 28. Movement through Lock 27 necessitated 1-4 hours’ additional travel time, while Lock 20 waits were described in the 1-2 hour range.
The Corps’ annual rock removal project near Thebes, Ill., remained on track for a mid-to-late August startup, shippers said. Work is expected to get underway when Cape Girardeau levels sink below the 15-foot mark. The Cape Girardeau gauge read 25.16 feet and falling on July 28, with levels predicted to hit 23.2 feet on Aug. 1. Delays and barge restrictions are expected once work begins.
Illinois River: Delays stemming from a July 27 daylight-hour closure at Dresden Island Lock stretched into the next day, with shippers reporting backups extending to eight hours on July 28. Marseilles Lock transits were quoted at 1-3 hours with five vessels queued for service, and waiting at Starved Rock Lock swelled to 2-4 hours with two boats queued.
Dams were down at both Peoria Lock and LaGrange Lock, allowing vessels to transit without locking.
Power line installation blocked daytime navigation through the Meredosia, Ill., area. Nighttime-only transits are expected through Aug. 13.
Ohio River: Montgomery Lock transits were noted in the 1-2 hour range, while travel through New Cumberland Lock was called just over an hour. Both Pike Island Lock and Belleville Lock waits ran about an hour, and average Racine Lock delays were quoted at 95 minutes. R.C. Byrd Lock navigation was reported up to an hour, and wait times at McAlpine Lock ran 1-2 hours. With repairs scheduled at Greenup Lock through Sept. 11, shippers noted delays of 1-2 hours for the week.
Lock 52 saw queue times climb to the 2-3 hour range on July 27 with four boats in line. Vessels were free to pass without locking at Lock 53, but congestion pushed transit into the 2-3 hour range. Boats continued to lock through the Olmsted Lock riverside chamber, where tows were capped at 15 barges.
Main chamber repairs continued at Emsworth Lock, increasing wait times to as high as seven hours on the week. The chamber is scheduled to temporarily resume locking on July 30-31, en route to a planned Aug. 10 reopening date. Transit through Emsworth will be completely unavailable Aug. 8-10.
The Montgomery Lock main chamber will be offline during daylight hours, Monday through Friday, starting Aug. 22, shippers said. Navigation will be limited to the auxiliary chamber during the day, with the main chamber expected to reopen overnight, subject to an 80-foot length restriction. Normal operating hours will resume Nov. 10.
The R.C. Byrd Lock auxiliary unit will be closed Oct. 3 through Dec. 9.
Tennessee River transit was unavailable at the Eggners Ferry Bridge July 25-26 due to bridge demolition. Navigation was also halted at Chickamauga Lock, where repairs underway through Aug. 11 have effectively closed the river.
The Monongahela River’s Braddock Lock and Dam remained partially closed last week, where the river chamber was shuttered due to ongoing equipment failure. Vessels detoured through the land chamber instead.
Arkansas River: Webbers Falls Lock is scheduled to close Aug. 22 through Sept. 11 for structural rehabilitation and miter gate painting. Downstream miter gate seal repair will shutter the David D. Terry Lock between Aug. 29 and Sept. 4. No auxiliary chamber is available at either lock.