US Gulf:
Improving water levels on the lower Mississippi River allowed Harvey Lock to reopen during the week following a prolonged closure. Vessels were relegated to detours through Algiers Lock while Harvey Lock was unavailable.
Bayou Sorrel Lock guidewall replacement work underway through February 2023 has necessitated weekday travel shutdowns, with 24-hour navigation resuming on Saturdays and Sundays. Average delays were reported at seven hours on Dec. 19.
Colorado Lock repairs were noted slowing navigation daily between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. through an estimated Jan. 27. Daytime shutdowns at Calcasieu Lock ended Dec. 16, sources said. An additional 4-5 days of closures are on the books for January 2023.
Commercial travel on the Atchafalaya River remained closed through Little Island Pass, Middle Island Pass, and Riverside Pass due to exposed underwater pipelines in the channel. Detours were suggested through the Port Allen Lock.
Industrial Lock waits were reported at nine hours through the early week, while Corps data showed 8-9 hour delays at Algiers Lock on Dec. 19. Seven-hour passages were reported through the Brazos Lock western gate.
Mississippi River:
Sources noted improving water levels and easing navigation restrictions on the lower Mississippi River during the week, although conditions worsened on the upper river.
Southbound tows moving through St. Louis were restricted to 20 barges, down from the typical 25-barge limit, while northbound drafts were restricted to 8.5 feet through the area. Dry barges moving downriver were limited to nine-foot drafts through St. Louis, while liquid barge drafts were capped at 8.5 feet throughout the upper river. Based on weather forecasts, the issues were projected to continue into 2023.
The river gauge at St. Louis was posted at 3.34 feet and falling on Dec. 21. Forecasts predicted a fall below the 0.00-foot mark on Dec. 23, culminating in a (-)4.6 feet reading on Dec. 31. Additional towing restrictions were expected at St. Louis should levels move below the (-)4.0-foot mark, as expected.
On the lower river, 9.78-foot depths at Memphis were anticipated to fall below the 5.00-foot Low Stage on Dec. 29, potentially signaling a return to tightening travel restrictions below Cairo. A Hard Freeze Warning was in effect for the Vicksburg area on Dec. 22-24.
Dredging at the upper river’s Mile 110.5 was noted completely blocking river traffic on Dec. 19-20, while dredging at Mile 46 was expected to trigger daytime shutdowns beginning on Dec. 21 or 22. Dredging at Miles 167 and 169 was not likely to impact navigation, sources said.
The main chambers at Mel Price Lock and Lock 27 were scheduled to shut Jan. 1 for planned maintenance, leaving transit available solely through both sites’ auxiliary chambers through the end of March.
On the lower river, a safety advisory at Miles 228-230 was expected to continue through June 2023. Revetment operations at Miles 100-139 were anticipated to conclude in December, while an additional effort at Miles 192-193 was scheduled for January.
Delays at Chain of Rocks Lock averaged 5-7 hours through the week, according to Corps data.
Illinois River:
Ice formation impacted travel on the Illinois Waterway during the week, necessitating the use of ice couplings through Starved Rock Lock, Marseilles Lock, and Dresden Island Lock. Tows destined for the Illinois River were reported to depart Cairo with ice couplings in place.
Peoria Lock operators raised wickets on Dec. 20 following a period of non-locking navigation, sources said, while wickets were expected to come up at LaGrange Lock on Dec. 21 or 22.
Marseilles Lock passages were delayed by 5-6 hours during the week.
Ohio River:
Tows continued to see nine-foot maximum barge drafts on the Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland Rivers during the week due to low water levels, sources said.
Bridge work at Nitro, W.Va., triggered 10-14 hour daytime travel shutdowns on the Ohio River on Dec. 19-20. Dashields Lock repairs previously anticipated to interrupt traffic on Dec. 16-19 were pushed back to mid-January.
Primary chamber repairs concluded at Montgomery Lock on Dec. 16, ending a spate of delays reported as high as 12 days in recent weeks. Residual wait times averaged 29 hours on Dec. 20, Corps data showed.
Wait times at the Tennessee River’s Kentucky Lock were reported to average 7-17 hours on Dec. 21. Wilson Lock delays were counted at 8-17 hours.
Arkansas River:
Sources reported daily closures at Norrell Lock scheduled to run through Jan. 20, 2023. Norrell is slated to shut to navigation completely on Jan. 30-31.