US Gulf:
Port Allen Lock will shut completely from July 30 to Aug. 3 and again on Aug. 12-15 for miter gate repair. Transit through the site was unavailable for nearly one month earlier in the year following a March 28 miter gate hinge anchorage failure.
Repairs at Bayou Boeuf Lock are scheduled through approximately July 10, limiting Monday-Friday travel between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Leland Bowman Lock was scheduled to close to daytime navigation on June 25-29.
Guidewall work at Bayou Sorrel Lock scheduled through Oct. 30 limited movements from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., sources said. Delays were reported up to 35 hours, down from 60 hours at last check. Brazos Lock repairs are projected to run into October, restricting weekday navigation from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Delays were noted up to 89 hours during the week.
Repairs to the San Jacinto River Bridge in the Houston area are expected to run into July or August. Traffic was limited to single-wide travel through the western side of the channel, while passage was completely unavailable through the channel’s eastern side.
Port Allen Lock waits were counted up to 12 hours on June 27. Sources noted 45-hour delays at Industrial Lock, down from 50-69 hours at last report, while intermittent 4-8 hour wait times were recorded at Algiers Lock. Bayou Boeuf Lock waits peaked at nine hours on June 26, and Corps data showed 16 tows in line to pass Harvey Lock on June 27.
Mississippi River:
High-water conditions intensified on the Upper Mississippi River during the week, closing the St. Paul harbor and extending a navigational outage at Savage, Minn. Travel is not expected to resume at either location until the first week of July at the earliest, while sources warned of potential closures at Locks 12-13 and 16-17 as early as June 26-27.
The National Weather Service gauge at St. Paul returned a major-flood 19.1-foot reading on June 27. Levels were predicted to crest at 20.8 feet on June 29 before falling to a moderate-flood 15.4 feet on July 3. Movements at St. Paul will remain idled until depths recede below the 14-foot mark, sources said. The Savage gauge, posted at a major-flood 713.5 feet at midweek, was forecast to peak at 715.7 feet on June 29-30.
Lock 8 was closed to navigation on June 24 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Travel was unavailable through the Fort Madison Bridge on June 23. The closure is scheduled to repeat on June 30. Lock 21 will shut to daytime travel on Aug. 13, sources said.
Intermittent 4-6 hour delays were reported at Lock 19, and Corps data showed a handful of 4-8 hour wait times at Lock 20. The Cumberland River’s Old Hickory Lock will see a full closure on July 8 to Aug. 1 for hydraulic line replacement. The lock was shut to daytime navigation on June 10-27.
Illinois River:
Maximum loading drafts continued to edge lower on the Illinois River during the week, sources said. Drafts were capped at 9.5 feet at Miles 1-231 for tows traveling in both the northbound and southbound directions, while draft limits fell to 9.0 feet above Mile 231.
Planned miter gate gear box repairs will force four-hour shutdowns at Dresden Island Lock on July 9 and Brandon Road Lock on July 10, sources said, leaving travel unavailable from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Wait times were quoted up to seven hours at Marseilles Lock. Tows transiting Starved Rock Lock waited up to six hours to pass. Lowered wickets at Peoria Lock and LaGrange Lock prompted delays up to 10 hours and seven hours, respectively.
Ohio River:
Sources continued to report towing reductions on the Ohio River due to low water levels, with maximum loading drafts noted at 90-95% of normal capacity. Drafts reportedly topped out at 10-10.5 feet depending on location and direction of travel, while tow lengths were allowed up to 15 barges.
The main chamber at Markland Lock is due to shut for 19 hours daily between July 8 and Aug. 2 and again from Aug. 12 through Sept. 6, forcing vessels to detour through the auxiliary chamber.
The Hannibal Lock primary chamber is closed through Nov. 8 for miter gate repairs, forcing delays up to 72 hours. Corps data showed 21 vessels in line to lock on June 27. Machinery repairs in progress through July 11 at Racine Lock produced minimal delays during the week.
The main chamber at John T. Myers Lock will reportedly shut to navigation between Aug. 21 and Nov. 9. A similar outage in October 2023 resulted in delays up to four days in length. Belleville Lock will experience 30-day main and auxiliary chamber shutdowns during the second half of the year.
The Tennessee River’s Wilson Lock will close to daytime navigation on July 8-18. Wilson Lock delays were quoted up to 16 hours, while tows waited up to 11 hours to pass Kentucky Lock.
Arkansas River:
The Van Buren Bridge will close for repairs on Aug. 16-Sept. 8, sources said. A single opening to pass queued vessels is tentatively scheduled following the ninth day of work. The bridge is located at Mile 300.8.