U.S. Gulf:
Long waits persisted through the Bayou Sorrel Lock area for the week after a tow collided with the Bayou Sorrel Bridge on March 23. Travel through the bridge was halted through March 25, but delays up to 45 hours continued to be reported on March 29.
The collision and resulting shutdown exacerbated previously reported delays at Bayou Sorrel Lock, where maintenance and repairs are scheduled through April 7. Lock access is reportedly unavailable daily between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. while work is underway. An additional daytime shutdown was scheduled to run from April 21 through May 15.
The Corps was expected to clear backups in the Bayou Sorrel area prior to the resumption of Gross Tete Bridge repairs, located two miles from the Bayou Sorrel Bridge at the Port Allen Route’s Mile 36. Work at Gross Tete began on March 15 and was projected to run through May 15, blocking navigation daily from 12:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., and from 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Harvey Lock is slated to undergo a total shutdown from April 5 through May 21 due to repairs scheduled at the nearby 4th Street Bridge. Traffic will detour through Algiers Lock while the effort is underway, leading sources to predict increased wait times at Algiers.
A daylight-hour maintenance project kicked off at the Colorado Locks system on March 23 and was expected to intermittently block traffic daily, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., through April 2. Sporadic delays were reported up to 15 hours for the week.
Towing limits continued through Port Allen Lock, sources said, due to guidewall damage sustained during a January barge collision. Westbound tows with barge counts of two or more units were obligated to use an assist vessel while locking, while those towing one barge or fewer were permitted to lock without assistance. All eastbound tows measuring 650 feet or longer were required to utilize an assist vessel. Intermittent waits were noted up to 12 hours for the week.
Restrictions also persisted through Algiers Lock, limiting unassisted tows wider than 60 feet to 600-foot lengths. Tows measuring less than 60 feet were green-lit on lengths up to 700 feet. The restrictions limited unassisted tows to four standard barges or two 30,000 mt tankers per turn, sources said, although lockages of larger cargoes were possible when accompanied by an assist vessel. Most delays were quoted in the 5-10 hour range for the week, although intermitted stoppages were heard up to 26 hours.
Intermittent overnight fog delays were reported for travel on the East and West Canals, with delays likely to continue in the week ahead.
High water conditions continued to impact movements above New Orleans, reducing the typical 25-barge maximum towing capacity by 5-10 cargoes. The river gauge at Baton Rouge, La., was reported at a minor-flood 36.04 feet and rising on March 29, with a crest of 37.5 feet expected on April 3, just shy of the 38-foot moderate-flood stage. The gauge was expected to remain at flood stage through at least April 12, and a Flood Warning issued on March 28 for the Mississippi River at Red River Landing was set to expire on April 18.
Boats passing Industrial Lock experienced intermittent 9-16 hour delays for the week, while Calcasieu Lock waits were posted up to 11 hours. Sporadic Brazos Lock crossings were heard as high as 10 hours.
Mississippi River:
Upper Mississippi River lock access continued to expand for spring navigation, with sources reporting movement as far north as Lock 2 during the week. No travel was recorded at the Twin Cities-area Lock 1 through 5:00 p.m. on March 31.
Sources described loose plans for a Lock 2 shutdown at some point in July. The project is expected to spark 4-12 hour navigation delays while work is underway. Lock 25 will also see 12-hour shutdowns in July and August for repairs to the lower guidewall, sources said. Movement is expected to be limited from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily as a result.
Improving river levels at St. Louis were projected to ease restrictions in the coming days, sources said. Towing limits remained in place on March 29, however, with maximum barge counts noted at 20 units on travel between St. Louis and Cairo, Ill., down from the usual 25.
High water continued to be observed south of Cairo, resulting in tows slashed to 15-20 barges from the typical 25. Vicksburg, Miss., river levels were reported at a minor-flood 44.18 feet and rising on March 30, and were expected to remain at flood stage through at least April 13. A March 29 Flood Warning in effect for the Mississippi River at Greenville, Arkansas City, Vicksburg, and Natchez was scheduled to expire on April 14.
Intermittent 5-7 delays were reported at Lock 27 for the week.
Illinois River:
Wickets remained down at Peoria Lock and LaGrange Lock due to elevated water levels, sources said, facilitating lockless navigation at both sites.
Ohio River:
The Greenup Lock main chamber was shut through March 24 for miter gate machinery repairs, forcing traffic to detour through the secondary chamber. The Greenup auxiliary chamber is scheduled to shut for repairs through April 11, with delays of up to six hours reported for the week.
Meldahl Lock’s main chamber is scheduled to close from April 12 through June 11 for miter gate repairs and maintenance. Traffic will pass through the smaller auxiliary chamber, with delays expected.
Following the discovery of structural damage to the Markland Lock auxiliary chamber in early 2020, the chamber is projected to remain closed to navigation through an estimated Oct. 29. Traffic has continued to pass through the main chamber, with few reported delays.
Smithland Lock is scheduled to conclude a two-month auxiliary chamber repair project on April 1. The project kicked off on Feb. 1 and has seen consecutive 30-day shutdowns of the lock’s two backup locking chambers, sources said.
The secondary chamber at New Cumberland Lock has reportedly shut down through June 10 for repairs and maintenance, with boats passing through the primary chamber. The main chamber at Cannelton Lock is slated to go offline from June 21 through Nov. 19 for repairs and maintenance. Sources are predicting substantial delays while work is underway.
Increased flows continued to allow tows to transit Olmsted Lock via the non-locking navigational pass.
Treacherous operating conditions on the Tennessee River prompted some shippers to voluntarily move to a daylight-only operating schedule during the week, sources said, slowing movements and stretching pickup and delivery windows. Kentucky Lock delays were quoted in the 3-12 hour range for the week.
A complete travel shutdown was reported at the Cumberland River’s Cheatham Lock due to high flows through the site. Flows were 60 percent above the lock’s maximum safe capacity on March 29, suggesting a minimum weeklong closure.
Cheatham Lock is scheduled to shut for bio-acoustic fish fence (BAFF) maintenance from April 3 through June 3. The Corps is scheduled to pass waiting vessels on April 23-26, May 7-10, and May 21-24. Daylight-hour transit interruptions reported during the week at Barkley Lock were scheduled to conclude on April 2.
Arkansas River:
High water on the Arkansas River was reported to trigger towing restrictions during the week. Tows typically measuring up to 12 barges were capped at nine barges, sources said, delaying per-barge delivery times by an average 25 percent. Sources expected the limits to remain in effect through at least mid-April.
David D. Terry Lock is scheduled to undergo a complete shutdown from Aug. 27 through Sept. 9 for dewatering and repairs. In preparation for the shutdown, sporadic navigation stoppages are anticipated on Aug. 16-26.