US Gulf:
Calcasieu Lock guidewall repairs, previously scheduled to conclude on March 3, were extended through April 6. The project blocked daytime travel during weekdays, resulting in delays up to six hours on March 6, down from 10-27 hours reported previously.
Colorado Lock repairs begun on Dec. 5 were reported stopping travel between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., precipitating delays up to 11 hours. Work at the site was scheduled to wrap up on March 10.
New shutdowns were announced at the Belle Chasse Bridge due to ongoing bridge replacement efforts. Following five nonconsecutive days of shutdowns reported during the Feb. 20-March 2 period, passage through the structure, located at Mile 3.8 of the Algiers Canal, was scheduled to be unavailable on March 8 and 10. More travel outages are expected in late March and April.
Intermittent shutdowns were scheduled to begin in mid-April at the Morgan City Railroad Bridge, located at Mile 121 in the West Canal. The shutdowns were projected to continue through June.
Work at Algiers Lock was penciled to run early March through mid-April, triggering roughly 20 days of daylight-hour shutdowns. Most delays were noted falling in a 4-11 hour range through the early week.
Corps data put Port Allen Lock wait times up to 14 hours, while Bayou Sorrel Lock travel was quoted up to five hours through the week. Industrial Lock transits ran in a wide 12-48 hour range, sources said.
Mississippi River:
Bucking earlier predictions of a return to normal levels, waters were reported rising on the lower Mississippi River.
Vicksburg depths tracked above the 35-foot action stage at 35.75 feet on March 6. The NWS forecasted a crest at 39.4 feet on March 16, expecting levels to hold above action stage into late March. Levels at Baton Rouge were expected to cross the 30-foot action-stage threshold on March 7, en route to a 34.5-foot reading on March 20, just shy of the region’s 35.0-foot minor-flood stage. The NWS projected the Memphis gauge to rise into action-stage territory on March 7-15.
The main chambers at Chain of Rocks Lock and Mel Price Lock were shut for repairs and maintenance through March 17 and March 31, respectively, forcing tows to pass through the auxiliary chambers at both locations. Chain of Rocks delays topped out around seven hours, while waits at Mel Price were observed up to 12.5 hours.
Upper-river locks shut for the winter navigation season have been in the process of reopening since Feb. 26. Locks 12, 13, 15, and 19 were scheduled to begin lockages on March 3, followed by Locks 3 and 4 on March 12. The upper river is slated to fully reopen by April 1, conditions permitting.
Illinois River:
Water levels continued to rise on the Illinois River during the week, sources said. Navigation remained particularly hard-hit above Starved Rock, located at Mile 231, with both slower running speeds and bridge clearance difficulties reported as a result.
Wickets were in the lowered position at Peoria Lock and LaGrange Lock due to the high water, allowing tows to pass both locations without locking. Wait times at Marseilles Lock ran up to seven hours, Corps data showed, while boats needed up to six hours to pass Starved Rock Lock.
The Illinois River is scheduled to close to commercial travel from June to September for lock repairs and maintenance.
Ohio River:
High water was also reported to affect travel on the Ohio River during the week. The Cincinnati gauge was noted at 39.27 feet and rising on March 6, just shy of the area’s 40.0-foot action stage. Levels were expected to crest at 40.0 feet on March 6-7.
The Racine Lock main chamber was closed for maintenance from Feb. 26 to March 12, with minimal delays reported on March 6. The Hannibal Lock main chamber was closed to navigation through April 7, driving delays in a wide 7-27 hour range during the week.
Floating mooring repairs at JT Meyers Lock will run through Aug. 20, with intermittent shutdowns expected. Following the main chamber closure, tows will lose access to the site’s secondary chamber between Aug. 21 and Sept. 10 due to miter gate repairs, after which the main chamber will close once again from Sept. 11 to Nov. 17.
Greenup Lock will shut its primary chamber March 12 through April 12. The auxiliary chamber at Melville Lock is scheduled to go offline April 17 through Aug. 4.
On the Tennessee River, Kentucky Lock waits tracked in a wide 6-26 hour range during the week. Pickwick Landing Lock delays ran as high as 16.5 hours.
Arkansas River:
Maynard Lock is scheduled to shut on April 10-14 for repairs to the site’s interlock system.