U.S. Gulf:
Weekday navigation through Bayou Boeuf Lock continued to be limited to the hours between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., with 24-hour availability on Saturdays and Sundays.
A Coast Guard posting noted the end of draft restrictions in the Houma Navigational Canal during the week. Shoaling at Mile 7 of the waterway had previously required 11-foot maximum drafts at Miles 6-10.
Floodgate work at Bayou Chene restricted travel to 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily. Tows were limited to 600 feet of length, with an assist tug required for strings larger than 54 feet wide. In addition, dive operations were expected to cause intermittent shutdowns for up to 6-12 hours at a stretch.
Towing restrictions remained in force at the Atchafalaya River’s Mile 113-116, centered in the Morgan City area, due to shoaling. Maximum drafts were limited to 10 feet, Coast Guard documents indicated, while tows were capped at 600-foot lengths and 70-foot widths. Tow lengths above 400 feet were strongly advised to utilize an assist tug. Vessels were encouraged to bypass the restrictions via a detour through the Port Allen Route.
Length and width restrictions remained in effect for Algiers Lock travel, effectively capping unassisted movements to four standard barges or two 30,000 mt tankers per turn. Larger lockages were possible when accompanied by an assist vessel.
Belle Chasse Bridge construction was noted triggering intermittent navigational shutdowns up to 12 hours at a time. The bridge is located at Mile 3 in the West Canal.
Port Allen Lock wait times were noted in a general 8-12 hour range, while Corps data showed intermittent Bayou Sorrel Lock delays falling in the 16-24 hour range. Sporadic Industrial Lock waits were quoted at a wide 6-24 hours, and intermittent 24-36 hour delays were reported through the Colorado Floodgates.
Mississippi River:
Low water conditions in the St. Louis area were noted further tightening draft restrictions on the lower Mississippi River during the week, with limits of 9.5-10 feet reported at various points along the lower river.
Depths at St. Louis were observed at (-)0.08 feet on Jan. 12, rising from (-)0.6 feet reported previously. Forecasts called for a quick increase to 0.7 feet on Jan. 13, followed by a decline to (-)2.0 by Jan. 25.
Channel reinforcement work underway at Mile 642 on the lower river is scheduled to run into late February. The project was likely to delay southbound vessels up 12 hours through the area.
The upper Mississippi River’s Locks 1-21 were reportedly shut for the winter navigation season on Jan. 11. Lock 25, previously scheduled to close for seasonal maintenance on Jan. 1-31, continued to pass tows during the week, Corps data indicated, with wait times noted up to 5.5 hours. Lock 24 was also closed to navigation for the week.
Lock reopenings for the spring season were scheduled to begin on March 3 with Lock 15, followed by Locks 5 and 7 on March 11. Locks 5A, 8, and 10 were slated to resume lockages on March 17, while Lock 4 was set to reopen on March 21, conditions permitting.
Illinois River:
Worsening ice conditions on the Illinois Waterway impacted river travel during the week, with LaGrange Lock and Peoria Lock seeing the worst of it. Wait times at LaGrange were clocked up to four days on Jan. 11. Temperatures were expected to improve in the short-term, although forecasts suggested significant slowdowns heading deeper into January.
Ice couplings were required through all Illinois River Locks during the week. Wickets were noted in the raised position at both Peoria Lock and LaGrange Lock.
A repair and maintenance project at Brandon Road Lock is scheduled to run from May 9 through Sept. 8, with major impacts to navigation expected. The work will block daytime travel from May 9 through Aug. 14, followed by a complete lock shutdown between Aug. 15 and Sept. 4.
Daylight-hour closures at Brandon Road Lock will resume on Sept. 5-8, followed by a planned reopening on Sept. 9. A 70-foot width limit will be in effect while work is underway. Corps data estimated delays as high as 12 hours for the week.
Ohio River:
Elevated water levels resulted in towing restrictions and delays on the Ohio River during the week.
The secondary chamber at Dashields Lock was reportedly closed to navigation due to an underwater obstruction interfering with operation of the lower miter gate. Lockages remained possible through the primary chamber, however.
A proposed Hannibal Lock main chamber repair project is likely to impact travel through the site between July 5 and Oct. 8. Cannelton Lock is also facing a proposed shutdown, set to run from July 5 through Nov. 11, forcing lockages through the auxiliary chamber.
On the Tennessee River, main chamber repairs scheduled for Feb. 23 through April 28 at Wilson Lock are anticipated to trigger detours through the site’s secondary chamber, likely resulting in delays. The main chamber is tentatively scheduled to open for a single window during the project, on March 18-23.
Kentucky Lock waits were quoted up to five hours for the week. Wilson Lock delays peaked at 5.5 hours on Jan. 9, falling from 22 hours reported one week earlier.
Barkley Lock, located on the Cumberland River, will experience daily shutdowns between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on Jan. 15-30 due to planned maintenance to the site’s bio-acoustic fish fence (BAFF) system. Work proposed at Cheatham Lock will likely result in navigation disruptions between May 16 and Aug. 4.
Navigation through Lock 6 on the Allegheny River remained unavailable due to a damaged miter gate anchorage.