US Gulf:
Bayou Sorrel Lock guidewall repairs were reported between 7:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, driving waits to 32 hours during the week. Harvey Lock returned from miter gate repairs on Feb. 3, ending a period of delays noted up to 12 hours.
Navigation through the BNSF Railroad Bridge at Mile 121.3 of the West Canal was unavailable from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Feb. 6 and 8, with a repeat scheduled for Feb. 13. Repairs began on Feb. 5 at the Ellender Bridge, located at the West Canal’s Mile 243, blocking weekday travel from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. through April 12. The Claude Avenue Bridge, at Mile 6.5 in the West Canal, will shut from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Feb. 24.
Following temporary repairs completed last week at Bayou Boeuf Lock, a more intensive project requiring three shutdowns of four days each is anticipated to begin in mid-March. Additional daytime closures may be required in the weeks leading up to the project, sources said.
Repair work at Brazos Lock will limit daytime lockages until Feb. 29. Travel through Brazos was restricted to a single loaded barge or two empty barges per pass, prompting intermittent delays in a wide 5-37 hour range.
Port Allen Lock waits peaked at 27 hours on Feb. 5-6, according to Corps data, while boats transiting Industrial Lock waited up to 56 hours to pass. While most Algiers Lock delays were noted in a 5-10 hour range, a handful of tows were delayed by 16-33 hours at the site. Sporadic 10-51 hour delays were posted at Colorado Lock.
Mississippi River:
Water levels continued to rise on much of the Lower Mississippi River. The river gauge at Vicksburg, Miss., pushed to an action-stage 35.2 feet on Feb. 8, en route to a predicted 36.2-foot crest on Feb. 9. The gauge at Baton Rouge, La., was expected to crest at an action-stage 30.9 feet on Feb. 11-13, while levels at Memphis, Tenn., peaked shy of the 28-foot action stage at 22.8 feet on Feb. 4-6.
Channel restoration was underway at the lower river’s Mile 249 through Feb. 29, potentially limiting northbound travel during daytime hours. Revetment operations at Mile 214, reported blocking navigation from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. last week, concluded on Feb. 2.
Upper-river locks are slated to reopen for spring navigation on March 4-16. Cargoes loading from New Orleans for ports south of Dubuque, Iowa, were expected to begin releases in the second week of February. Barges pointed above Dubuque will start releasing in the second half of February.
Prior to the river’s full reopening, Locks 11-16 and 18-20 were available for locking on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., conditions permitting. Locks 21 and 22 are open for lockages 24/7.
Digging activities at Mile 49.5 of the upper river concluded on Feb. 3, sources said, ending a run of daytime shutdowns.
Illinois River:
High water levels were reported on the Illinois River due to melting ice. The conditions, along with heavy drift and lingering ice, complicated lock operations and forced slower travel speeds.
A mechanical malfunction delayed travel through Marseilles Lock during the week, forcing delays of 9-33 hours. Waits tracked in a 5-13 hour range at Brandon Road Lock, and midweek transits through Starved Rock Lock required up to 63 hours to conclude. Wickets were down at Peoria Lock and LaGrange Lock, allowing tows to pass without locking.
Ohio River:
Sources reported an unscheduled main chamber outage at New Cumberland Lock. With no auxiliary chamber available, lock operators were reportedly forced to push the site’s gates open and closed with a boat, stretching wait times above 20 hours.
The main chamber at Meldahl Lock remained unavailable due to an unscheduled primary chamber closure, prompting detours through the secondary chamber. Waits were recorded in a wide 36-62 hour range during the week.
Greenup Lock valve repairs are scheduled for March 4-April 12. Planned maintenance at Markland Lock and Cannelton Lock will restrict movements at both sites between April 22 and June 7.
Upper guidewall replacement at the Tennessee River’s Kentucky Lock is scheduled to end on Feb. 15. Waits ran up to 25 hours for the week, while intermittent 7-12 hour delays were noted at Wilson Lock. Old Hickory Lock, on the Cumberland River, will see occasional shutdowns for maintenance between March 18 and May 9.
Arkansas River:
Lock 2 was shut to daytime navigation on Feb. 5-9. The Van Buren Bridge, located at Mile 300, is scheduled to close to marine traffic on March 11-29. A single opening is expected on March 20 to clear waiting vessels.