US Gulf:
Bayou Sorrel Lock guidewall replacement continued to prompt intermittent weekday travel outages between 6:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., triggering delays in an 8-18 hour range through the week. Work at the site was projected to run into March 2023.
Maintenance and repairs at Colorado Lock were scheduled to continue through Jan. 27, blocking navigation daily from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Corps data showed delays up to 27 hours on Jan. 16-17. Sources expected Calcasieu Lock to shut for 4-5 days of maintenance before the end of January.
Sources reported daily Brazos Lock closures starting on Jan. 11. The work was anticipated to block weekday travel intermittently between 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. through Feb. 8.
The Atchafalaya River’s Little Island Pass, Middle Island Pass, and Riverside Pass remained shut to commercial travel until further notice due to the presence of active, exposed underwater pipelines in the channel. Detours were available through Port Allen Lock.
A number of shutdowns lasting 8-24 hours each are expected at the Port Allen Route’s Miles 63-64 in February for bridge replacement work. Firm dates were anticipated to be announced before the end of the month.
Industrial Lock delays topped out at 46 hours for the week, according to Corps lock data. Wait times at Calcasieu Lock spiked to 24-26 hours on Jan. 16-17.
Mississippi River:
Despite a brief reprieve from low water levels noted one week ago on the upper Mississippi River, a fresh decline in levels prompted tighter towing restrictions during the week.
Draft limits on southbound cargoes running between St. Louis and Cairo were reduced to 10 feet, sources noted, one week after lifting to 11 feet, while tows heading upriver continued to be limited to 9.0 feet through the St. Louis area. After registering a 2.16-foot crest on Jan. 12, the river gauge at St. Louis fell to (-)0.62 feet on Jan. 17.
Dredging previously reported at the upper river’s Miles 24-47 partially concluded on Jan. 15, with work at Mile 39 wrapping up ahead of the planned Jan. 18 end date. Work continued at Mile 28.5 on Jan. 16, however.
Tow sizes continued to see limited reductions on the lower river. The leftover restrictions were reported to target only the largest towing vessels on the waterway. The NWS reassessed river projections at Memphis on Jan. 17, lifting the Jan. 30 forecast from 5.2 feet — just above the gauge’s 5.0-foot Low Stage — to 12.0 feet.
Sources described a shutdown at Mile 0.0 of the lower river to allow for the removal of submerged dredging pipelines, blocking travel from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Jan. 17. A second shutdown was possible on Jan. 19, if needed, to complete the work. Similar shutdowns were scheduled for Jan. 17 and potentially Jan. 19 at Mile 65.
The primary chambers at Mel Price Lock and Chain of Rocks Lock are closed for repairs and maintenance through March 31, leaving transit possible solely through both sites’ auxiliary chambers. As a result, wait times at Mel Price stretched to 2-4 days on Jan. 19, while Chain of Rocks delays were reported at 1-3 days.
A safety advisory is in place through June at the I-10 bridge, located at Miles 228-230 on the lower river, due to ongoing bridge maintenance. Channel reinforcement at Miles 192-139 was scheduled to continue through late January. Navigation was reportedly unavailable for roughly 12 hours at Miles 84-86 on Jan. 16.
Illinois River:
Lock slowdowns continued on the Illinois Waterway for the week, reportedly due to lingering congestion from fog-related slowdowns noted one week earlier. Wait times at LaGrange Lock ran up to 14 hours, while boats passing Peoria Lock saw delays up to five hours. Wickets were reported in the raised position at the sites, necessitating lockages at both locations.
Commercial navigation is expected to be unavailable on most of the Illinois River between June and September due to lock maintenance and repairs.
Ohio River:
Bellville Lock hydraulic repairs begun on Jan. 17 blocked navigation from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Delays were expected in a 12-24 hours range for the duration of the project, scheduled to run through Jan. 20.
The Belleville Lock and Racine Lock auxiliary chambers were expected to shut Jan. 30 through Feb. 26, followed by a Racine Lock main chamber shutdown slated for Feb. 26 through March 12. Greenup Lock will see a primary chamber closure running March 12 through April 12.
The Tennessee River’s Kentucky Lock saw delays up to 11.5 hours during the week. Boats transiting Wilson Lock waited up to 7.5 hours to pass.
Arkansas River:
Daytime Norrell Lock closures, reported underway since June, were scheduled to conclude on Jan. 20. One additional 48-hour shutdown was expected on Jan. 30-31.