U.S. Gulf:
The start of planned Colorado Lock repairs was reportedly pushed back to Aug. 1 from the previously scheduled July 26. Set to run through Sept. 9, the project was noted blocking Monday-through-Friday navigation between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Intermittent delays ran in the 5-15 hour range on Aug. 1-2.
Brazos Lock maintenance was heard to conclude on July 29, ending a spate of delays recently noted up to 16 hours. Wait times at the lock topped out around the five-hour mark early in the week.
Sporadic daylight-hour closures that began on July 20 were heard to conclude on July 30 at Port Allen Lock. Delays of up to 12 hours were reported during the period.
Dredging work expected to move between Algiers Lock, Industrial Lock, and Harvey Lock will trigger intermittent shutdowns at all three sites, projected to continue into mid-August.
Guidewall construction was heard to resume on Aug. 1 at Bayou Sorrel Lock, with work scheduled to run through February 2023. Travel was blocked Monday through Friday between 6:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., with normal navigating hours returning on Saturdays and Sundays. Delays were reported up to nine hours early in the week.
Bayou Sorrel bridge repairs in progress since July 5 were tentatively set to continue into second-half August, shutting down travel Monday through Thursday between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., and again from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Draft limits continued at Miles 113-117 of the Atchafalaya River due to persistent shoaling in the area, particularly at Miles 115.5-117. On top of the draft limits, 600-foot maximum tow lengths were also in effect, while widths were restricted to 70 feet. Tows running longer than 400 feet were advised to travel with an assist vessel.
Potentially hazardous underwater pipes forced a complete travel stoppage through Little Island Pass, Middle Island Pass, and Riverside Pass. Tows could avoid the restriction by detouring through the Port Allen Route.
Tows traveling without industry assistance through Algiers Lock remained subject to length and width restrictions, effectively reducing maximum lockages to four standard barges or two 30,000 mt tankers per turn. Larger lockages were available when utilizing an assist vessel. Most waits topped out around the five-hour mark through the week, although intermittent delays were reported at 24-25 hours on Aug. 1-2.
Construction scheduled through the end of the year at the Belle Chasse Bridge caused intermittent travel delays of up to 12 hours during the week, sources said.
Port Allen Lock wait times were noted up to 29 hours for the week. Most Industrial Lock waits were in the 3-11 hour range.
Mississippi River:
Multiple challenges to navigation were noted on the lower Mississippi River during the week, including the continuation of elevated heat levels that reportedly slowed outdoor commercial activities such as loading and unloading operations.
A heat advisory issued on Aug. 3 warned of 105-110 degree heat indexes in southeast Arkansas, northeast Louisiana, and western Mississippi. A separate heat advisory issued the same day described a 107 degree heat index for Illinois and parts of Missouri.
Heavy rains on the lower river offered a temporary buffer from reduced water levels that have restricted drafts between St. Louis and the Gulf in recent week, although restrictions remained in place on Aug. 3. Tows traveling to the north were capped at 10.5 feet of draft for the length of the lower river. Southbound tows continued to be restricted to 12.5-foot drafts from Cairo, Ill., to New Orleans, while draft limits were set at 11.5 feet between St. Louis and Cairo.
A flash flood warning was issued for the Baton Rouge, La., area on Aug. 3.
Channel maintenance operations that have reportedly limited downriver navigation at Miles 336-337 were expected to conclude on Aug. 7. Transit through the site was blocked daily from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. while work was underway.
Daylight-hour travel shutdowns were reported at Mile 740 starting on July 29 due to dredging. Travel interruptions were scheduled to continue through Aug. 8.
Shutdowns that kicked off on July 28 at Old River Lock were projected to block navigation daily between 6:00 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. through Aug. 29. The current shutdowns will precede a complete travel outage scheduled for Aug. 30 through Nov. 13. Vessels looking to access the Red River during this time should detour through the Atchafalaya River, sources said.
Lock 21 wait times were noted up to seven hours. Delays of 3-6 hours were reported at Lock 27 for the week.
Illinois River:
Brandon Road Lock repairs and maintenance in progress since May 9 are scheduled to continue through Sept. 8. Navigation through the site is limited to overnight hours through Aug. 14, with tow widths capped at 70 feet.
The lock will shut to navigation entirely between Aug. 15 and Sept. 4, after which overnight-only travel will resume on Sept. 5-8. Normal operations were scheduled to return on Sept. 9. Delays tracked up to 14 hours through the early week.
Wickets remained in the raised position at both Peoria Lock and LaGrange Lock due to low water levels, necessitating locking through both sites. Peoria Lock wait times were reported up to nine hours, while LaGrange Lock delays peaked at seven hours on July 31.
Ohio River:
Planned Olmsted Lock maintenance, which began on July 18 and necessitated alternating closures between the main and auxiliary lock chambers, was projected to conclude on Aug. 6. Minimal delays stemming from the project were reported for the week.
Miter gate replacement at the Cannelton Lock primary chamber was expected to prompt detours through the secondary chamber through at least Nov. 11. As a result, wait times were typically observed in the 12-19 hour range through the week.
Main chamber miter gate and quoin repairs were underway at Hannibal Lock through an estimated Oct. 8. The work pushed vessels to pass via the auxiliary chamber, with minimal delays reported.
Travel delays lingered through the Tennessee River’s Wilson Lock after recently concluded guidewall repair. Waits peaked at 18 hours on July 31-Aug. 1.
Corps data showed Kentucky Lock passages as high as 23 hours during the week. Waits at Pickwick Landing Lock were counted up to seven hours.
Miter gate machinery repairs at the Cumberland River’s Cheatham Lock were anticipated to conclude on Aug. 5, ending a period of 11-days closed, three-days open travel windows that resulted in long delays during the project’s duration.
Arkansas River:
Norrell Lock maintenance efforts resumed on Aug. 1, closing the lock to navigation daily from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. through Aug 10. Additional daytime shutdowns are on the books for Aug. 21-Sept. 21; Oct. 20-Nov. 18; Nov. 29-Dec. 23; and Jan. 3-31, 2023. Norrell Lock travel will be completely unavailable from Sept. 30 through Oct. 9.
Joe Hardin Lock was scheduled to close for repairs daily from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Sept. 12-19, and again on Sept. 28-29, according to a Corps posting. The lock will shut completely between Sept. 30 and Oct. 9.