US Gulf:
Maintenance currently underway at Algiers Lock is expected to continue through May 26, closing the site to navigation Monday through Saturday, 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Delays were noted up to 21 hours during the week.
Repairs at Colorado Lock were scheduled through June 2, rendering travel unavailable daily between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Sporadic delays were counted up to 25 hours. Brazos Lock returned from repairs on May 12. Lingering delays were reported up to 10 hours.
Intermittent shutdowns were expected to continue at the Morgan City Railroad Bridge, located at Mile 121 of the West Canal, through the end of June. The Union Pacific Railroad Bridge, located at Mile 64.3 of the Port Allen Route, was scheduled to close to navigation on May 21-22 for repairs. Bayou Pigeon Bridge was shut for repairs on May 13-16, blocking traffic at Mile 41 of the Port Allen Route.
Leland Bowman Lock was expected to close to marine traffic on May 16-18. Repairs at Bayou Boeuf Lock, previously expected through May 19, remained paused for the week due to emergency repairs in the Vicksburg area.
Wait times at Port Allen Lock were clocked as high as 27 hours. Corps data put Industrial Lock delays in a wide 3-17 hour range.
Mississippi River:
Sources reported a return to normal operations on both the upper and lower sections of the Mississippi River, though levels were seen returning to flood stage in the Twin Cities area.
The river gauge at St. Paul, reported at an action-stage 10.22 feet and rising on May 16, was expected to crest at a moderate-flood 16.0 feet on May 21-23. A flood warning posted on May 16 was due to remain in effect until further notice. The Dubuque gauge fell below the 15.0-foot action stage on May 17, however, and was not forecast to return to flood stage in the next seven days.
On the lower river, a flash flood watch remained in effect for parts of Mississippi and Tennessee, including the Memphis area, due to a potential breach of the Arkabutla Dam, located in Mississippi’s Tate and DeSoto counties. The watch was scheduled to expire on June 10. Local news outlets reported emergency repairs underway on May 11.
Rock placement work at Miles 931-932 was said to limit southbound travel daily from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The project was scheduled to last through mid-July. Lock 19 delays were posted up to nine hours during the week.
Illinois River:
Falling water levels on the Illinois River prompted lock operators to raise wickets at Peoria Lock during the week, ending a period of nonlocking navigation at the site. Sources expected LaGrange Lock to follow suit on May 16 or 17.
Planned repairs at Brandon Road Lock, Dresden Island Lock, and Marseilles Lock will begin on June 1, according to a Corps posting, effectively shutting the Illinois River to commercial transport through late September.
Intermittent 5-6 hour waits were reported at Dresden Island Lock. Vessels transiting Marseilles Lock waited up to seven hours to lock.
Ohio River:
Floating mooring system repairs at the JT Meyers Lock main chamber are slated to continue through Aug. 20, necessitating intermittent shutdowns. The site’s auxiliary chamber is projected to shut Aug. 21 through Sept. 10 for miter gate repairs. An additional primary chamber closure is scheduled for Sept. 11 through Nov. 17.
The Dashields Lock main chamber was set to return from maintenance and repairs on May 20, seven days ahead of the work’s previous May 27 planned end. The effort was noted complicating travel to and from both the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers. Delays were counted as high as 67 hours on May 16.
The auxiliary chamber at Melville Lock is closed through Aug. 4 for maintenance, sources said. Miter gate machinery repairs at McAlpine Lock were reported blocking travel through the lock’s north chamber starting on May 15, limiting travel to the south chamber through an estimated June 15.
At Smithland Lock, the land chamber is projected to close Sept. 22 through Oct. 22 for machinery repairs. The Greenup Lock main chamber is due to go offline July 5 through Aug. 14, forcing tows to pass through the secondary chamber. Repairs at Winfield Lock, set to run July 10 through Sept. 15, are not likely to impact navigation, sources said.
On the Tennessee River, sporadic Kentucky Lock delays were noted in a 5-15 hour range through the week. Boats transiting Wilson Lock waited up to 20.5 hours to pass, Corps data indicated.