US Gulf:
Travel will be unavailable through Port Allen Lock from July 30 to Aug. 3 and again on Aug. 12-15 for miter gate repair. Port Allen Lock was closed to navigation for most of April following a miter gate hinge anchorage failure on March 28.
The Louisiana Highway 1 Bridge will shut to marine traffic from 8 p.m. on July 20 through 4 a.m. on July 21. Bayou Boeuf Lock repairs were scheduled to end on July 10. The work was reported to limit Monday-Friday travel between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Guidewall repairs at Bayou Sorrel Lock scheduled through Oct. 30 blocked weekday travel from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wait times were quoted up to 30 hours at midweek, down from 37 hours at last report.
Ongoing work at Brazos Lock limited weekday travel between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Most delays topped out around the 12-hour mark, according to Corps data. The project is expected to run through October.
Repairs and maintenance underway at the San Jacinto River Bridge in the Houston area were anticipated to continue through July. Traffic is limited to single-wide tows through the western side of the channel. The channel’s eastern side is completely shut to navigation, sources said.
Port Allen Lock delays were reported up to 13 hours at midweek, while tows waited 24-48 hours to pass Industrial Lock. Intermittent nine-hour waits were noted at Algiers Lock.
Mississippi River:
National weather service (NWS) data showed falling water levels at St. Paul and Savage, Minn., during the week. Vessel traffic at St. Paul had effectively returned to normal on July 11 after area levels moved below the 14-foot minor-flood stage on July 7, allowing navigation to resume for the first time since high-water stoppages began on June 23.
The Savage area remained above the 702-foot minor-flood stage at 704.6 feet, however. The gauge was projected to recede into action-stage territory on July 16, and a flood warning in place on July 11 was slated to expire on July 16.
With the floodwaters continuing to work their way downriver, shutdowns remained in effect at Locks 11-13, Locks 16-18, and Lock 20 on July 9, sources said.
Additionally, river levels were reported at a minor-flood 31.1 feet at St. Louis on July 11, triggering significant delays and a 20% reduction in tow lengths through the area. Southbound tows larger than 20 barges were restricted to daytime-only travel through Miles 43-46 until the St. Louis gauge falls below the 29-foot mark.
St. Louis was forecast to fall below the 28-foot action stage on July 13. A flood warning was in effect through July 12.
On the lower river, work began on July 10 at Mile 759, forcing a halt to southbound travel between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily. Work underway at Miles 755 and 769 was not expected to impact navigation. The Fort Madison Bridge was scheduled to shut to marine travel from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on July 14, 28, and Aug. 1.
Lock 21 will close to daytime travel on Aug. 13, sources said. On the Cumberland River, Old Hickory Lock will be completely offline from July 8 to Aug. 1 for hydraulic line replacement. The lock was previously closed to daytime travel on June 10-27.
Illinois River:
Maximum loading drafts on the Illinois River continued to be reported at 9.5 feet for Miles 1-231 and 9.0 feet above Mile 231. Miter gate gear box repairs triggered four-hour closures at Dresden Island Lock on July 9 and Brandon Road Lock on July 10, sources said. Navigation was unavailable from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on both days.
Delays were noted in the 4-11 hour range at Dresden Island Lock during the week. Vessels waited up to six hours to pass Marseilles Lock, and staggered nine-hour waits were reported at Peoria Lock.
Ohio River:
Loading drafts continued to be reduced on the Ohio River due to low water levels, sources said. Drafts were capped at 10-10.5 feet, depending on location and direction of travel – a 5-10% reduction – while tow lengths were permitted up to 15 barges everywhere on the river.
On July 8, McAlpine Lock closed to downriver lockages between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. through Nov. 30. Minimal delays were reported at midweek. The main chamber at Markland Lock is offline for 19 hours daily between July 8 and Aug. 2, prompting detours through the auxiliary chamber. The outage is scheduled to repeat between Aug. 12 and Sept. 6.
The Hannibal Lock main chamber is closed for miter gate repairs through Nov. 8, prompting scattered delays up to 24 hours, down from 42 hours at last report. Machinery work at Racine Lock was scheduled to wrap up on July 11.
The primary chamber at John T. Myers Lock is anticipated to close on Aug. 21 through Nov. 9. A similar outage in October 2023 resulted in delays up to four days in length. Belleville Lock will see 30-day main and auxiliary chamber closures before the end of the year.
Intermittent shutdowns for miter gate fender replacement, reported from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Tennessee River’s Kentucky Lock, were slated to run through Aug. 1. Delays were quoted up to 21 hours. Wait times ran up to 18 hours at Wilson Lock, down from 40 hours at last check.
Arkansas River:
The Van Buren Bridge, located at Mile 300.8 of the Arkansas River, will shut for repairs on Aug. 16-Sept. 8. Queued vessels will be allowed to pass following the ninth day of work, sources said.