U.S. Gulf:
Corps data revealed lengthy backups at Bayou Sorrel Lock, located at Mile 40 in the Port Allen Route, reportedly due to a mechanical lift failure stretching back to late in the prior week. Repairs were projected to wrap up on Jan. 19, forcing tows to wait for limited manual openings in the meantime. Delays were noted peaking at nearly 31 hours on Jan. 17-18, with 19 tows in the queue on Jan. 18.
Weekday movements through Bayou Boeuf Lock remained limited to overnight hours only. Navigable hours were posted at 7:00 p.m. through 7:00 a.m. on Monday through Friday, followed by a return to 24-hour access on Saturday and Sunday.
Travel through Bayou Chene continued to be unavailable during overnight hours due to floodgate construction, leaving the waterway shut nightly between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Daylight-hour tows were limited to 600 feet of length, while tows running wider than 54 feet were required to utilize an assist vessel. Delays were expected up to 6-12 hours.
Maximum Atchafalaya River drafts at Miles 113-116 were set at 10 feet due to shoaling, the Coast Guard reported. Additionally, vessel lengths were permitted to run up to 600 feet, with tows measuring longer than 400 feet advised to travel with an assist vessel. Widths were capped at 70 feet. Vessels could circumvent the restrictions by detouring through the Port Allen Route.
Size restrictions on tows passing through Algiers Lock effectively limited unassisted lockages to four standard barges or two 30,000 mt tankers. Larger strings remained possible when traveling with an assist tug. Intermittent delays through the site were reported up to 27 hours for the week.
Construction efforts underway at the Belle Chasse Bridge were projected to continue through late 2022, resulting in intermittent stoppage lasting up to 12 hours at a time. The structure is located at Mile 3 in the West Canal.
Port Allen Lock delays were reported up to nine hours for the week, while intermittent Industrial Lock waits were noted topping out around seven hours. Intermittent Brazos Lock wait times were reported in the 4-6 hour range. Low water levels were noted driving intermittent slowdowns on the West Canal.
Mississippi River:
Despite St. Louis water levels holding below the 0.0-foot mark for the week, swelling depths below Cairo, Ill., allowed for easing lower river draft restrictions into the 9.5-11.5 foot range, dependent on area and direction, increasing from 9.5-10 feet noted previously.
River forecasts suggested restrictions will likely persist into late January or early February. Levels at St. Louis were noted at (-)0.61 feet on Jan. 19, while the gauge at Vicksburg, Miss., returned an action-stage 35.03-foot reading.
Channel work at the lower river’s Mile 642, which kicked off in early January, was projected to continue through late February, slowing downriver movements for up to 12 hours.
Upper Mississippi River Locks 1-20 were closed to vessel navigation for the week due to ongoing seasonal maintenance. The upper river is tentatively set to begin reopening to spring navigation on March 3 with Lock 15, followed by Locks 5 and 7 on March 11. Lock 5A, Lock 8, and Lock 10 are scheduled to resume lockages on March 17, while Lock 4 is slated to return to service on March 21, fully reopening the waterway.
Illinois River:
Icy conditions continued to impact travel on the Illinois River during the week, although slowdowns were described as greatly reduced from week-ago levels. A forecast for colder weather in late January and early February was projected to tighten operating conditions, however.
Wickets continued to be reported as raised at Peoria Lock and LaGrange Lock, necessitating locking through both sites. Ice couplings remained a requirement at all locks during the week.
Brandon Road Lock is on the books for a repair and maintenance operation starting on May 9. Navigation will be available only during overnight hours through Aug. 14, with tows capped at 70-foot widths. The lock will shut completely on Aug. 15 through Sept. 4, followed by the resumption of overnight-only navigation on Sept. 5-8. Normal operation is expected to resume on Sept. 9.
Intermittent Marseilles Lock wait times were quoted in the 4-8 hour range for the week. Vessels locking through Peoria Lock required up to seven hours to pass, while Corps data showed LaGrange Lock waits peaking at nearly nine hours on Jan. 16-17, falling from four days reported previously.
Ohio River:
Heavy snow and icy conditions, along with ongoing high water levels, caused delays on the Ohio River during the week.
Sources continued to note a closed auxiliary chamber at Dashields Lock. Movements have been confined to the primary chamber due to an underwater obstruction blocking operation of the auxiliary miter gate.
A main chamber repair project proposed at Hannibal Lock would see shutdowns scheduled for July 5 through Oct. 8, a Corps posting indicated. Proposed maintenance at Cannelton Lock is tentatively scheduled to run from July 5 through Nov. 11, impacting primary chamber navigation.
The Tennessee River’s Kentucky Lock will shut for “major maintenance” from Jan. 31 through Feb. 24, a Corps notice indicated. Barkley Canal was named as an alternate route while work is underway, adding a projected 1-2 days of travel time in each direction.
Wilson Lock is scheduled to undergo primary chamber repairs from Feb. 23 through April 28, with lock access available only through the smaller secondary chamber. The primary chamber is currently due to open for a single six-day window on March 18-23.
Kentucky Lock delays were reported up to eight hours for the week. Corps data pegged most Wilson Lock delays in the 6-18 hour range, with intermittent spikes noted up to 39 hours.
On the Cumberland River, Barkley Lock began daily shutdowns on Jan. 15, blocking access to the lock from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. through Jan. 30, due to bio-acoustic fish fence (BAFF) maintenance.
Proposed Cheatham Lock maintenance would impact navigation between May 16 and Aug. 4.
The Allegheny River’s Lock 6 remained shut until further notice due to a damaged miter gate.