U.S. Gulf:
Harvey Lock was scheduled to shut on March 12-13 for repairs, sources said, blocking movements between 7:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. on both days. Additional shutdowns were projected on April 5-21 for repairs to the 4th Street Bridge, located adjacent to Harvey Lock. Traffic is expected to detour through Algiers Lock while Harvey is closed.
Normal operation resumed at Colorado Lock on March 6, ending a run of daytime shutdowns that kicked off on Feb. 25. Additional closures are scheduled for March 22 through April 2, shutting the lock to navigation from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.
Port Allen Lock guidewall damage suffered in a January barge collision triggered continued towing restrictions. Westbound tows with more than one barge were required to utilize an assist vessel on all lockages, while westbound tows passing without an assist boat were limited to one barge per turn. Tows moving eastward with lengths above 650 feet were required to use assistance, sources said. Waits were heard in a general 14-22 hour range for the week.
Ongoing size restrictions were also reported at Algiers Lock for the week. Tows wider than 60 feet were capped at 600-foot lengths, sources said, while tows with sub-60-foot widths were allowed strings up to 700 feet. The restrictions effectively limited tows to four standard barges or two 30,000 mt tankers per turn, although larger configurations were reported possible with the use of an assist vessel.
Most Algiers Lock waits were reported below five hours for the week, although rising waters in the forecast and expected detour traffic from Harvey Lock were expected to swell delays in the short-term.
Repairs in progress at Rigolets Bridge, located in the East Canal, were noted limiting access to and from the Pearl River through March 12. Navigation through the site was available three times per day, at 5:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 9:30 p.m.
Sources reported weather delays and overnight fog slowing movements in the East and West Canal on March 9-12.
High-water conditions at Baton Rouge, La., triggered restrictions in the upper Gulf and lower Mississippi River during the week. Depths were reported crossing above the 30-foot action stage at Baton Rouge on March 8, returning a 30.71-foot reading on March 10. The gauge was expected to crest at 34 feet on March 20-22, just shy of the 35-foot minor-flood. Sources reported towing cuts of 5-10 barges from the typical 25-barge limit as a result.
Sources described five-hour wait times at Industrial Lock, while Calcasieu Lock movement typically tracked up to six hours for the week. Boats passing Brazos Lock reported intermittent delays up to 18 hours.
Mississippi River:
Moderate weather along the upper Mississippi River basin prompted a partially revised opening scheduled, sources said. Locks 13, 14, 15, and 19 continued to project a March 15 return to service, unchanged from one week earlier, while Lock 25’s reopening date was pushed forward to March 22 from March 31.
The change prompted shippers to begin accepting upper-river-bound barges loading from the Gulf on March 8 and March 9, sources said. Barges loading from St. Louis were projected to begin releasing as early as March 15.
The upper river’s Lock 21 was reported shut on March 8-12 for repairs. Lock 2, located at Mile 815.2 on the upper river, was anticipated to return from seasonal repairs and maintenance on March 19.
On the lower river, sources reported 5-10 barge towing reductions due to high water at Baton Rouge, Vicksburg, Miss., and Memphis, all reported above action stage on March 10. Memphis was forecast to move below action stage on March 16, while Baton Rouge and Vicksburg were projected to remain above their respective action stages through at least March 24.
Weather conditions prompted a delay to planned dike work at the lower river’s Mile 770, previously set to begin in late February. Now scheduled to begin in late March and run for about one month, the project will block southbound movements daily from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Illinois River:
Utica Bridge demolition remains on hold due to cold weather, sources said. The project, previously scheduled for late February, will block navigation through the site for at least 24 hours during demolition and cleanup.
Wickets were reported down at Peoria Lock and LaGrange Lock, allowing vessels to pass both sites without locking. Wait times at Marseilles Lock were reported in the 6-13 hour range for the week.
Ohio River:
High water levels continued to impact operations on the Ohio River during the week. Southbound movements were permitted during daytime hours only through the harbor at Louisville, Ky., while elevated river gauge readings pushed Newburgh Lock into daylight-only travel restrictions until area readings fall below the 46.5-foot mark.
Navigation was reported to proceed normally through J.T. Myers Lock on March 10, although sources warned that a river surge above 46.5 feet would trigger restrictions. Levels were forecast to peak around 46 feet on March 9. Lockless travel continued at Olmsted Lock, where high water precipitated transit through the site’s nonlocking navigational pass.
The main chamber at Greenup Lock was closed from Feb. 19 through March 11 for repairs. Sources reported southbound tows passing the site during daytime hours only on March 9, with northbound vessels passing overnight. Most delays were quoted at 31-63 hours, while a number of intermittent stoppages were seen spiking to 4-6 days. Following the reopening of the main chamber, the auxiliary chamber is scheduled to shut from March 11 through April 11 for repairs.
The Meldahl Lock main chamber is scheduled to close from April 12 through June 11 for repairs to miter gate machinery. Traffic will pass through the 600-foot secondary chamber while the project is underway, leading sources to predict delays.
The secondary chamber at Markland Lock remains shut through approximately Oct. 29 due to structural damage to the miter gate. During the closure, tows are expected to lock through the primary chamber, with minimal delays predicted. Sources said the chamber was offline for the majority of 2020.
An auxiliary chamber closure at Smithland Lock reported in progress through April 1 was noted to include consecutive 30-day shutdowns of the lock’s two secondary chambers. Transit has continued through the primary chamber, with minimal delays reported. The secondary chamber at New Cumberland Lock closed to navigation on March 8 for repairs. The project is slated to conclude on June 10.
The main chamber at Cannelton Lock will close to all navigation from June 21 through Nov. 19, sources said, and extensive delays are predicted.
Wait times at the Tennessee River’s Kentucky Lock were reported up to nine hours for the week, falling from a peak of 33 hours in the prior report.
Cheatham Lock, on the Cumberland River, is scheduled to undergo a primary chamber shutdown from April 12 to June 3 for bio-acoustic fish fence (BAFF) repair. A total of three openings, each lasting four days, will be scheduled to clear waiting vessels during the stoppage.
Arkansas River:
Lock 3 experience intermittent navigation stoppages on March 1-11, ahead of a planned March 12-20 shutdown. The project is expected to completely block access to Little Rock, Ark., and above once underway. Sources said a dewatering and repair shutdown at Lock 6 is planned to run from Aug. 27 through Sept. 9.