US Gulf:
Port Allen Lock, closed for emergency repairs since March 28, was expected to remain offline through at least April 24, forcing detours through Algiers Lock. Corps data showed widely variable delays at Algiers during the week, with most tows waiting 25-60 hours to pass the site. Due to the shutdown at Port Allen Lock, a Bayou Boeuf closure scheduled for April 1-30 has been delayed until further notice.
Industrial Lock returned to service on April 8 after a broken miter gate hinge assembly forced an unplanned shutdown on March 30. The lock faced a large backlog on reopening, with tows waiting up to 10 days to pass. Corps data showed 33 tows in line to lock on April 11, down from 65 reported one week earlier.
Work at Colorado Lock was reported on April 3-10 to clear sand, silt, and oyster shells from gate recesses, a Corps posting indicated, resulting in intermittent delays up to 40 hours.
A buildup of mud and debris prevented the gate from opening fully at Brazos Lock starting on April 5, requiring vessels to track toward the north side of the western Brazos floodgate. Work to clear the obstruction was expected to wrap up by April 14.
Guidewall repairs underway at Bayou Sorrel Lock, located at Mile 37 of the Port Allen Route, are expected to run through Oct. 30, limiting weekday movements from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Daytime waits were quoted at 7-9 hours during the week.
Drawbridge repairs at the Ellender Bridge, at Mile 243 of the West Canal, were scheduled to wrap up on April 12. Bridge work planned at Mile 63 of the Port Allen Route will shut the area to daytime navigation on April 22, 24, and 26, three days later than originally planned.
Pipeline dredging at the Pascagoula Ship Channel’s Horn Island Pass was expected to run through April 27, prompting extreme caution warnings for vessels transiting the area.
Harvey Lock wait times were posted up to 31 hours during the week. Thunderstorms and heavy rainfall reportedly forced widespread navigation outages throughout the US Gulf on April 10, with delays noted up to 12 hours.
Mississippi River:
A security zone was in place at Miles 94.4-95.1 of the Lower Mississippi River on April 11-14 due to the French Quarter Festival in New Orleans, restricting travel through the area.
Dredging at Mile 107 is expected to continue through approximately May 26. Delays approached the five-hour mark at Lock 27 during the week.
Illinois River:
Marseilles Lock is scheduled to close for upper miter gate repairs from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 17, a Corps posting indicated.
Wait times were noted up to five hours at Dresden Island Lock, while Marseilles Lock delays were quoted as high as nine hours. Starved Rock Lock waits topped out at 14 hours, according to Corps data. Wickets were in the lowered position at Peoria Lock, allowing vessels to pass without locking.
Ohio River:
High water levels and large amounts of drift impacted travel on the Ohio River during the week, though vessel traffic had largely bounced back following last week’s flood-related shutdowns.
River levels at Cincinnati were posted at an action-stage 40.1 feet and falling on April 11, after cresting just shy of the 52-foot minor-flood zone at 51.7 feet on April 7. The gauge was projected to hold at or near action stage through at least April 15.
The Meldahl Lock main chamber reopened during the week, ending an unplanned shutdown that forced tows to detour through the site’s smaller auxiliary chamber since late 2023. Lengthy delays persisted during the week due to heavy drift, however, with Corps data showing vessels waiting up to six days to lock through the site, up from 33 hours reported one week earlier.
Valve repairs at Greenup Lock were scheduled to conclude on April 12, and planned work at Markland Lock and Cannelton Lock will run from April 22 through June 7. Markland Lock will be offline on June 10-28 for miter gate repairs.
Racine Lock machinery work is scheduled for June 1 through July 11, and miter gate repairs will limit navigation at Hannibal Lock between June 15 and Nov. 7. The Belleville Lock main and auxiliary chambers will close for 30 days each during the second half of the year.
Main chamber work at the Pickwick Landing Lock, on the Tennessee River, was scheduled to end on April 11. Waits ran up to 10 hours at Kentucky Lock during the week, and intermittent 9-13 hour delays were noted at Wilson Lock.
Arkansas River:
Repairs to the Van Buren Bridge are slated to begin on Aug. 16. The project will run for roughly 18 days, and vessels will be cleared to pass the site after the ninth day of work. The bridge is located at Mile 300.8 of the Arkansas River.