US Gulf:
The BNSF railroad bridge, located at Mile 1 of the Port Allen Route, was expected to see intermittent navigation shutdowns between March 20 and July 6, and again from July 17 to Aug. 14. The closures were scheduled between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. daily.
Guidewall repairs at Bayou Sorrel Lock, previously projected to begin on June 6, were pushed back to June 26. Lockages will be impacted daily from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., through an estimated March 2024. Chamber repairs planned to begin June 30 at Leland Bowman Lock were projected to limit daytime navigation for around 15 days, through approximately July 14.
Port Allen Lock delays were reported up at 13 hours during the week, and Industrial Lock waits tracked at a wide 4-20 hours. Algiers Lock transits ran as high as six hours, while intermittent 4-8 hour delays were reported at both Colorado Lock and Brazos Lock.
Mississippi River:
Low rainfall totals recorded throughout the Midwest have left the Mississippi River with unseasonably low water levels, forcing draft restrictions and reduced tow sizes south of St. Louis during the week.
Shipping operators were noted capping northbound loadings at 10.5 feet of draft between Cairo and St. Louis, while barges traveling to the south were loaded to 11.5-foot maximum drafts. Northbound tows were loaded to a maximum 11 feet of draft between Cairo and the Gulf. Vessels moving south from Cairo saw drafts limited to 11.5 feet.
Tows moving southbound on the lower river cut maximum barge counts by 10-20%, delaying deliveries by an estimated 12-24 hours. A safety advisory remained in place at Miles 225-228.3 due the Baton Rouge river gauge holding below the 16-foot mark for the week.
Baton Rouge was noted at 10.63 feet and falling on June 14, while the St. Louis gauge, posted at 3.68 feet and moving lower, was projected to drop below the 1.0-foot mark in the week ahead. Memphis approached the (-)5.0-foot low stage on June 15, registering levels at (-)4.38 feet and falling.
A revetment project underway since May 13 at the lower river’s Miles 931-933 will block southbound navigation from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. through mid-July. Delays were expected in a 12-18 hour range.
Lock 24 wait times were posted up to six hours during the week.
Illinois River:
Commercial travel on the Illinois River is effectively unavailable through an estimated Oct. 1 due to repairs and maintenance underway at Brandon Road Lock, Dresden Island Lock, and Marseilles Lock. Starved Rock Lock will remain open during the project, leaving Ottawa as an available port.
Minimal rainfall totals have triggered low river levels not typically seen until later in the summer, sources said. In response, shippers were said to reduce maximum drafts to 9.0 feet for the full length of the river.
Wickets remained in the lowered position at both Peoria Lock and LaGrange Lock, necessitating lockages through both locations.
Ohio River:
Due to unseasonably light precipitation recorded in the Ohio Valley in June, low river levels not usually witnessed before July or August forced 10-foot draft limits on vessels transiting the Ohio River. Drafts were reduced to 8.5 feet for boats traveling on the Monongahela River.
Repairs to the floating mooring system at John T. Meyers Lock are underway through Aug. 20, necessitating primary chamber shutdowns. The auxiliary chamber is scheduled to close Aug. 21 through Sept. 10 for repairs to the miter gate, followed by an additional main chamber closure running Sept. 11 to Nov. 17.
The secondary chamber at New Cumberland Lock was reported offline through Aug. 18. The site’s main chamber will remain available during the closure.
The Melville Lock auxiliary chamber is shut until Aug. 4 for maintenance and repairs, sources said. The northern chamber at McAlpine Lock was expected to return from miter gate machinery repairs on June 15, while the Meldahl Lock secondary chamber will remain closed to navigation through June 30.
Sources reported mandatory assist boat usage on southbound movements through Smithland Lock due to strong outflows. The site’s land chamber is scheduled to close Sept. 22 through Oct. 21 for miter gate machinery repairs, after which the river chamber will go offline for miter gate machinery replacement between Oct. 22 and Nov. 20.
The Greenup Lock main chamber is anticipated to shut for maintenance July 5 through Aug. 14, forcing boats to pass through the secondary chamber. Winfield Lock repairs projected to run July 10 through Sept. 15 are unlikely to require long delays, sources said.
Wait times ran up to 21.5 hours at the Tennessee River’s Kentucky Lock, according to Corps data. Intermittent 3-11 hour delays were reported at Wilson Lock.