US Gulf:
Port Allen Lock travel will be unavailable from July 30 to Aug. 3 and again on Aug. 12-15 for miter gate repair. The site was closed for nearly a month following a miter gate hinge anchorage failure on March 28. The Louisiana Highway 1 Bridge will be closed from 8 p.m. on July 20 through 4 a.m. on July 21.
Bayou Boeuf Lock repairs underway through approximately July 10 limited Monday-Friday travel between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Leland Bowman Lock returned from a round of daytime shutdowns on June 29.
Bayou Sorrel Lock guidewall repairs scheduled through Oct. 30 restricted travel between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Delays ran as high as 37 hours, according to Corps data, edging up from 35 hours at last report. Repairs at Brazos Lock are expected to continue into October, limiting weekday movements from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Delays topped out around the 10-hour mark during the week.
Work underway at the Houston-area’s San Jacinto River Bridge is projected to continue for another 1-2 months. Traffic is limited to single-width tows through the western side of the channel, while the channel’s eastern side is completely shut to navigation.
Port Allen Lock delays ran up to 11 hours during the week. With 21 tows counted in line to pass Industrial Lock on July 3, wait times were quoted up to 44 hours. Algiers Lock waits topped out around 12 hours at midweek.
Mississippi River:
High-water conditions persisted on the Upper Mississippi River during the week, leaving both the St. Paul and Savage, Minn., areas closed to navigation on July 3. If current river trends continue, travel could resume through both locations as soon as the weekend, sources speculated.
The National Weather Service gauge at St. Paul was posted at a major-flood 17.4 feet and falling on July 3, while the Savage gauge returned a moderate-flood 710.6-foot reading on the same date. Movement at St. Paul can resume when levels fall below the 14-foot mark, forecast to occur on July 6.
Additional high-water closures were noted at Locks 1, 3, 12, and 16-17 during the week. Lock 13 was projected to shut on July 4, while Locks 11, 14, 18, and 20 were also reportedly at risk of closure as excess water works its way downriver. Due to the shutdowns, Corps data showed limited movement at Locks 1-19 during the week.
Lock 21 is scheduled to close to daytime travel on Aug. 13, sources said. Old Hickory Lock on the Cumberland River will shut completely from July 8 to Aug. 1 for hydraulic line replacement. The lock was previously closed to daytime navigation on June 10-27.
Illinois River:
Loading drafts continued at a maximum 9.5 feet for Miles 1-231. Drafts fell to 9.0 feet above Mile 231.
Scheduled miter gate gear box repair operations will prompt four-hour shutdowns at Dresden Island Lock on July 9 and Brandon Road Lock on July 10, sources said. Travel will be unavailable from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on those dates.
Tows waited up to eight hours to transit Peoria Lock during the week. Corps data showed intermittent 4-7 hour delays at LaGrange Lock.
Ohio River:
Low water levels prompted ongoing draft reductions on the Ohio River. Sources noted maximum loading drafts in the 10-10.5 foot range, depending on location and direction of travel, roughly equal to 90-95% of normal capacity. Tow lengths were permitted up to 15 barges.
McAlpine Lock will close to vessels traveling in the downriver direction from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. between July 8 and Nov. 30, with delays expected.
The Markland Lock primary chamber will go offline for 19 hours daily between July 8 and Aug. 2, and again from Aug. 12 through Sept. 6, forcing detours through the site’s secondary chamber.
The main chamber at Hannibal Lock is shut until Nov. 8 for miter gate repairs, resulting in delays up to 41 hours, down from 72 hours at last report. Corps data showed 11 vessels queued to lock on July 3. Machinery repairs at Racine Lock were slated to continue through July 11.
The primary chamber at John T. Myers Lock is expected close to navigation from Aug. 21 to Nov. 9. A similar shutdown in October 2023 produced four-day delays. Belleville Lock will see alternating 30-day main and auxiliary chamber shutdowns during the second half of the year.
On the Tennessee River, sporadic closures were scheduled for miter gate fender replacement between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. through Aug. 1. A shutdown reported overnight on June 30-July 1 produced delays up to 11.5 hours.
Wilson Lock is slated to close to daytime travel on July 8-18. Intermittent delays were quoted up to 40 hours during the week.
Arkansas River:
Scheduled Van Buren Bridge repairs are set to begin on Aug. 16. The project will run for approximately 18 days, with vessels cleared to pass the site following the ninth day of work. The bridge is located at Mile 300.8 of the Arkansas River.