U.S. Gulf:
Bayou Sorrel Lock was shut to daytime navigation for the week through April 7, sources said, blocking movements daily from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. due to repairs. Additional daylight-hour shutdowns were scheduled for April 21 through May 15, with sources expecting delays in the 24-48 hour range.
Repairs to the Gross Tete Bridge, located at Mile 36 in the Port Allen Route, were noted blocking navigation daily from 12:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., and 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. The project is scheduled to run through May 15.
Harvey Lock closed to navigation on April 5 due to scheduled repairs to the nearby 4th Street Bridge. Traffic is expected to detour through Algiers Lock until May 21 while Harvey is shut, increasing travel times and delays at Algiers.
Maintenance and repairs at Colorado Lock were extended through April 9, sources said, prolonging a spate of daytime travel closures that began in late March. Intermittent delays were noted up to nine hours for the week, falling from 15 hours in the prior report.
Efforts to repair damage to the Leland Bowman Lock west gate blocked daytime traffic on April 5-7. Additional work necessary to complete the repairs will likely slow movements at the lock through the short-term, sources said.
Guidewall damage suffered at Port Allen Lock in a January barge collision continued to necessitate towing restrictions. Westbound vessels with tow-lengths greater than one barge were required to utilize an assist vessel, while west-moving boats with one or zero barges were allowed to pass unassisted. Tows traveling eastward with lengths greater than 650 feet were required to use an assist vessel. Waits were quoted up to 10.5 hours for the week.
Ongoing size restrictions remained in effect at Algiers Lock for the week. Unassisted tows above 60 feet wide were capped at 600-foot lengths, while tows with widths below 60 feet were permitted lengths up to 700 feet. The limitations capped unassisted tows at four standard barges or two 30,000 mt tankers per turn, although longer strings were possible with the use of an assist vessel. Wait times through the lock were posted up to 27.5 hours for the week, with 21 vessels counted in the queue on April 6.
High water conditions continued to restrict towing above New Orleans during the week, reducing barge counts by 5-10 units from the region’s typical 25-barge maximum.
Depths at Baton Rouge, La., were reported at a minor-flood 37.77 feet and rising on April 6. Forecasts called for the gauge to crest at a moderate-flood 38.0 feet on April 6-7 before slowly tapering off. A flood warning dated April 6 for the Mississippi River at Red River Landing was slated to remain in effect through April 24.
Most Industrial Lock waits were quoted in the 8-17 hour range for the week, although sources noted sporadic delays spiking above 25 hours. Bayou Boeuf crossings were noted up to 12 hours, while boats transiting Brazos Lock waited up to 47 hours to pass.
Mississippi River:
High water levels continued to trigger towing and travel restrictions on movements south of Cairo, Ill. Barge counts were capped at 15-20 barges, down from 25, while daylight-only travel restrictions were reported in place through bridges in the Vicksburg, Miss., and Baton Rouge areas.
Levels at Vicksburg were clocked at a minor-flood 44.85 feet and holding on April 7, with depths projected to remain above flood stage through at least April 15-16.
High water concerns on the lower Mississippi River led to a shortage of fleet space at Osceola, Ark., located at Miles 781-786. Requests for acceptance to the fleet would be considered, sources said, although many tows were expected to be turned away.
Transports remained cut by five barges between St. Louis and Cairo despite improving depths at St. Louis. Sources expected these restrictions to have a shorter shelf life than those farther downriver, although no date for a return to normal operation was reported as of April 7.
Lock 2 was projected to undergo a series of 4-12 hour daytime travel shutdowns in July for miter gate installation. Dates for the work were unavailable on April 7. Lock 25 is also expected to see daylight-hour closures in July and August for guidewall repairs.
Intermittent 5-6 delays were reported at Locks 14, 21, and 24 during the week.
Illinois River:
Sources said Brandon Road Lock was closed to navigation from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on April 6 for emergency repairs.
Wickets were reported down at both Peoria Lock and LaGrange Lock for the week, allowing vessels to pass the sites without locking. Wait times were noted up to six hours at Dresden Island Lock.
Ohio River:
The secondary chamber at Greenup Lock was scheduled to return from maintenance and repairs on April 11, ending an operation that began on March 24.
Meldahl Lock primary chamber is slated to shut from April 12 to June 11 for miter gate machinery repairs. Traffic is scheduled to pass through the 600-foot secondary chamber while work is underway, with delays predicted.
The Cannelton Lock primary chamber is set to close to navigation entirely from June 21 through Nov. 19. Tows will detour through the smaller auxiliary chamber, sources said, with extensive delays predicted.
Markland Lock’s auxiliary chamber was projected to remain offline through at least Oct. 29 due to miter gate structural damage. Tows were reported passing with minimal delay through the main chamber.
The New Cumberland Lock auxiliary chamber was closed to navigation on March 8. Work on the chamber is projected to run through June 10. Auxiliary chamber work concluded at Smithland Lock on April 1, normalizing travel through the site.
With wickets remaining in the lowered position at Olmsted Lock due to high water, tows passed the area via the nonlocking navigational pass.
Falling water levels on the Tennessee River were projected to allow a return to normal navigation as early as April 7-8, sources said. Shippers were running daylight-only in the prior week due to high water and fast flows. Intermittent Kentucky Lock waits were noted up to eight hours for the week.
The Cumberland River’s Cheatham Lock will halt main chamber navigation from April 12 through June 3 for bio-acoustic fish fence (BAFF) repair. The Corps will temporarily reopen the lock on April 23-26, May 7-10, and May 21-24 to pass any assembled backlog. Barkley Lock was noted concluding BAFF repairs on April 2.
Arkansas River:
High water continued to limit towing on the Arkansas River for the week, with sources noting maximum barge counts cut to nine units from the typical 12. Pickup and dropoff delays resulting from the restrictions were likely to persist into late April, sources said.
David D. Terry Lock was scheduled to shut for dewatering and repairs from Aug. 27 through Sept. 9. Travel will see sporadic interruptions in advance of the shutdown, on Aug. 16-26.