U.S. Gulf:
Daytime transit was unavailable through Brazos Lock due to an ongoing maintenance operation, blocking Monday-through-Friday movements from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Delays of 5-12 hours were reported on Feb. 22.
COVID-related labor shortfalls continued to impact travel throughout the eastern river system during the week. Impacts to navigation were believed to stretch average delivery times.
Intermittent closures were expected at Bayou Sorrel Lock through March 3 due to guidewall demolition in progress since Feb. 8. Construction of the replacement guidewall, currently set to begin on March 4, will block navigation from 6:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, through the end of May. Intermittent delays were reported up to 29 hours for the week.
A Coast Guard posting said Bayou Boeuf Lock movements are restricted to overnight hours on weekdays, leaving the site closed to navigation between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., with 24-hour access allowed on Saturday and Sunday.
Bayou Chene was inaccessible nightly due to ongoing floodgate construction. Coast Guard data showed the waterway closed between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., confining navigation to daytime hours, subject to a maximum length of 600 feet. Tows wider than 54 feet were also required to travel with an assist vessel. Wait times were reported in the 6-12 hour range.
Shoaling reported at Miles 113-116 of the Atchafalaya River prompted 10-foot draft limitations through the area, a Coast Guard posting indicated. In addition, tow lengths were limited to a maximum 600 feet, while strings measuring over 400 feet were requested to utilize an assist vessel. Widths were reportedly capped at 70 feet. Tows were advised to bypass the restrictions by detouring through the Port Allen Route.
Algiers Lock remained subject to limits on unassisted lockages, effectively capping independent tows at four standard barges or two 30,000 mt tankers per turn. Larger lockages could be achieved when accompanied by an assist vessel. Delays were generally reported in the 4-6 hour range.
Construction underway at Belle Chasse Bridge, located at Mile 3 in the West Canal, was projected to result in intermittent travel delays lasting up to 12 hours at a time. The project is tentatively slated to run into late 2022.
Port Allen Lock delays were reported in a wide 13-42 hour range for the week. Boats passing through the Colorado Floodgates saw intermittent delays up to 37 hours on Feb. 20-22.
Mississippi River:
Barge drafts on the lower Mississippi River continued to be restricted to a 9.5-12.5 foot range for the week, depending on location and direction of travel. The St. Louis river gauge showed a depth of 10.17 feet on Feb. 23, but levels were expected to fall to 3.7 feet on March 9. Conversely, the river gauge at Vicksburg, Miss., was predicted to rise to an action-stage 36.2 feet on March 9.
Channel work in progress since Jan. 5 at Mile 642 on the lower river was scheduled to continue through March 15. Tows moving downriver were expected to encounter delays up to 12 hours. Boats headed upriver were generally unaffected by the project.
On the upper Mississippi, locks 1-19 remain closed to navigation due to ongoing seasonal maintenance, according to Corps data. Locks 15 and 19 are tentatively slated to open for the spring navigation season on March 3, while Locks 5A, 8, and 10 were predicted to resume service as early as March 17, conditions permitting.
Illinois River:
High water conditions stemming from Winter Storm Miles caused navigation delays on the Illinois River during the week.
A Flood Warning was issued on Feb. 23 for the Illinois River at Peoria and Havana, Ill. The river gauge at Peoria was at 16.76 feet and rising on Feb. 23, approaching the 17-foot action stage threshold. The gauge was expected to crest at a minor-flood 19.2 feet on Feb. 26-28.
In addition to high water, ongoing icy conditions continued to impact travel on the waterway during the week, forcing ice coupling usage on all lockages.
Intermittent delays at Marseilles Lock were reported in the 30-39 hour range during the week. Wickets were in the lowered position at Peoria Lock and LaGrange Lock for the week, allowing tows to pass via those sites’ nonlocking navigational passes.
Repairs and maintenance scheduled at Brandon Road Lock will result in transit interruptions from May 9 through Sept. 8. Travel will be limited to overnight hours and subject to 70-foot width restrictions between May 9 and Aug. 14, followed by a total navigational outage from Aug. 15 through Sept. 4.
Overnight-only passage and width restrictions will resume on Sept. 5-8 at Brandon Road Lock, preceding a return to 24-hour access on Sept. 9. Extensive delays are predicted through all phases of the project.
Ohio River:
High flows slowed travel throughout the Ohio River system during the week, and were expected to persist through the two-week outlook.
Emsworth Lock main chamber repairs and maintenance were scheduled to kick off on Feb. 22, routing movements through the site’s auxiliary chamber, limited to a single barge per pass. Delays were reported at eight hours on Feb. 23. The project is scheduled through April 16.
Daytime travel is unavailable at Cannelton Lock weekly on Wednesdays and Thursdays through May 26 due to ongoing repairs. The project was started on Jan. 26.
Main chamber maintenance scheduled for March 7-31 at Dashields Lock is expected to move all traffic through the secondary chamber. Following the main chamber project, the secondary chamber is scheduled to shut on April 1-22 for repairs.
Scheduled repairs and maintenance at Belleville Lock will run from May 2 through June 22, blocking access to the main chamber. Navigation will remain available through the auxiliary chamber.
The secondary chamber at Hannibal Lock is shut through late February for maintenance. A main chamber maintenance effort proposed to run from July 5 through Oct. 8 would limit traffic to the use of the auxiliary chamber.
A maintenance and repair proposal at Cannelton Lock would potentially limit primary chamber access from July 5 through Nov. 11, forcing detours through the lock’s secondary chamber.
On the Tennessee River, lock repairs initiated on Jan. 31 at Kentucky Lock were reportedly concluded ahead of the scheduled Feb. 24 end date. Vessels had been detouring through Barkley Lock while the project was underway, increasing travel times by 1-2 days in each direction. Corps data put most Kentucky Lock delays in the 33-49 hour range on Feb. 23.
Wilson Lock, located at the Tennessee River’s Mile 259.4, is scheduled to undergo main chamber maintenance from Feb. 23 through April 28, leaving passage available solely through the secondary chamber. The main chamber is scheduled to open on March 18-23 to pass waiting traffic. Wilson Lock delays were reported in a wide 28-55 hour range for the week.
The Cumberland River’s Barkley Lock will close to daytime navigation on March 21-27 for Bio-Acoustic Fish Fence (BAFF) maintenance and inspections. Alternate passage will be available via Barkley Lock and Kentucky Lock.
Proposed miter gate machinery repairs at Cheatham Lock would restrict navigation through the site from May 31 through Aug. 5.
Arkansas River:
Maintenance and repairs announced at Norrell Lock will periodically block navigation daily between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. through the end of the year, sources said. The shutdowns are scheduled for June 1-11; June 22-July 21; Aug. 1-10; Aug. 21-Sept. 21; Sept. 3-Oct. 9; Oct. 20-Nov. 18; Nov. 29-Dec. 23; and Jan. 3-31, 2023.