US Gulf:
Planned repair operations will block travel through the Florida Avenue Bridge, located at Miles 1-2 of the East Canal, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Feb. 24. Emergency repairs underway at the West Canal’s Lapalco Bridge were reported limiting navigation between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily through an estimated March 1.
Unplanned repairs continued at the Black Bayou Bridge, leaving weekday navigation unavailable at 5-8 a.m. and again from 4-7 p.m., while weekend closures were reported at 6-8 a.m. and 5-7 p.m. No expected date of completion was available on Feb. 20.
Guidewall repairs necessitated daytime shutdowns at Bayou Sorrel Lock from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Most wait times were noted in a wide 10-40 hour range during the week. Dive operations were projected to kick off at Colorado Lock on Feb. 26, restricting daylight navigation for an estimated 10-day stretch.
Repairs in progress since Feb. 5 at the Ellender Bridge, at Mile 243 of the West Canal, will block weekday travel from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. through April 12. St. Claude Avenue Bridge maintenance will shut that site to navigation from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Feb. 24, sources said.
Bayou Boeuf Lock repairs scheduled to begin in mid-March are expected to require three separate closures lasting four days each. Additional daytime shutdowns for timber replacement are expected in tandem with the project.
Brazos Lock is closed for maintenance from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. through approximately Feb. 29. Tows were restricted to one loaded barge or two empty barges per pass, sources said, triggering intermittent 4-9 hour waits.
Port Allen Lock delays were posted up to seven hours, while wait times were clocked up to 28 hours at Industrial Lock. Most Algiers Lock waits fell in the 10-20 hour range during the week.
Mississippi River:
Sources noted a 10% reduction in loading drafts on vessels transiting the St. Louis area. Tows moving between St. Louis and Cairo, Ill., reportedly saw draft reductions of 5-10%.
While through-travel from St. Louis to St. Paul, Minn., remains unavailable until mid-March, Locks 11-16 and 18-20 were reportedly open for weekday lockages between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. through March 9, though Lock 19 was slated to shut for eight hours daily on Feb. 27-29. Locks 21 and 22 are available for locking 24/7, a Corps posting indicated.
The upper river is scheduled to reopen for spring navigation on March 4-16, conditions permitting. Barges loading from New Orleans for locations below Dubuque, Iowa, were said to begin releases in the second week of February, while cargoes destined for docks north of Dubuque will resume upriver travel in the second half of February, sources said.
Illinois River:
Starved Rock Lock wait times were quoted up to six hours during the week. Wickets remained in the lowered position at LaGrange Lock and Peoria Lock, allowing tows to transit both sites without locking.
Looking ahead, the Corps announced a Lockport Lock closured slated to run from Jan. 14-March 11, 2025. The project will completely block movements between the Illinois River and Chicago.
Ohio River:
An unplanned Meldahl Lock main chamber closure continued during the week, prompting lengthy delays. With locking only available through the secondary chamber, Corps data showed wait times in the 16-31 hour range, down from 50-75 hours one week earlier.
Greenup Lock will shut for valve repairs between March 4 and April 12, while work at both Cannelton Lock and Markland Lock is expected to slow travel from April 22 to June 7. Markland Lock will also see miter gate repairs on June 10-28.
Racine Lock is scheduled for machinery work from June 1 to July 11, while Hannibal Lock will undergo dewatering and miter gate repairs from June 15 to Nov. 7, with significant delays expected. An as-yet unscheduled Belleville Lock project affecting both the lock’s primary and secondary chamber is anticipated in the second half of the year, sources said.
On the Tennessee River, Kentucky Lock delays were reported up to 14 hours, while boats waited up to 10 hours to pass Wilson Lock. The Cumberland River’s Old Hickory Lock will close to overnight travel on March 18-April 1, followed by a complete shutdown running April 1 through May 9.
Arkansas River:
The Van Buren Bridge will close to navigation on March 11-29. A single opening is planned for March 20 or 21 to clear waiting vessels. The bridge is located at Mile 300.8 of the Arkansas River.