US Gulf:
Travel through Port Allen Lock was scheduled to be unavailable July 30 through Aug. 3 and again on Aug. 12-15 to complete repairs begun in March. Port Allen Lock was closed for nearly a month after a miter gate hinge anchorage failure on March 28.
Bayou Sorrel Lock guidewall work scheduled through Oct. 30 restricted travel between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Delays of 5-18 hours were reported, according to Corps data, up from 10 hours at last report. Repairs at Brazos Lock are projected to stretch into October, limiting weekday passages from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Delays were reported up to 72 hours during the week.
Equipment inspection and hurricane preparations shut Industrial Lock on July 25-27, according to a Corps posting. Lingering delays from the closure were noted at 55 hours on Aug. 1, with 23 vessels counted in line to lock.
Outsized delays were reported at Algiers Lock due to the shutdown at Port Allen Lock, with midweek wait times noted up to 24 hours. Sources quoted intermittent 5-8 hour delays at Harvey Lock, and tows transiting Calcasieu Lock waited up to nine hours to pass. Corps data showed a handful of 4-11 hour passages at Colorado Lock.
Mississippi River:
Sources reported logistics impacts due to heat throughout much of the Mississippi River during the week. Heat warnings were posted from New Orleans through at least Cape Girardeau, Mo., with New Orleans and Baton Rouge, La., under a heat advisory on Aug. 1, while Vicksburg, Miss., St. Louis, Memphis, Tenn., and Cape Girardeau were subject to excessive heat warnings on that date.
Southbound travel is unavailable between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. at Mile 759 of the lower river through an estimated Sept. 18 due to rock placement. Travel was blocked through the Fort Madison Bridge from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on July 28 and Aug. 1.
Sporadic five-hour delays were reported at Locks 18-20, and tows regularly waited 4-7 hours to transit Lock 27. The Cumberland River’s Old Hickory Lock was slated to return from hydraulic line replacement on Aug. 1. The site was previously closed to daytime travel on June 10-27.
Illinois River:
Sources continued to report dredging underway at Miles 87-88 of the Illinois River. The dredge was active from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., though minimal impacts to navigation were reported. Larger tows were advised to contact the dredge prior to arrival if extra passing room is required.
Loading drafts on the Illinois River continued at a maximum 9.5 feet for Miles 1-231 and nine feet above Mile 231.
Lockport Lock at Mile 291 is scheduled to shut down in 2025 from Jan. 14 through March 11 for vertical lift gate installation, blocking passage to the Chicago area.
Ohio River:
Falling water levels on the lower river held draft limits at a maximum 10-10.5 feet, depending on location and direction of travel, sources noted. Tow lengths were permitted up to 15 barges.
McAlpine Lock is closed to downriver travel from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Nov. 30, with delays reported up to 10 hours. Work reported blocking access to the Markland Lock main chamber for 19 hours daily was scheduled to pause on Aug. 2. The project will resume on Aug. 12 and run through Sept. 6, necessitating detours through the auxiliary chamber.
The main chamber at Hannibal Lock is closed until Nov. 8 for miter gate repairs, resulting in delays up to nine hours.
The primary chamber at John T. Myers Lock will shut to navigation from Aug. 21 to Nov. 9. A similar closure in October 2023 produced four-day delays. Belleville Lock will undergo a round of 30-day main and auxiliary chamber shutdowns before the end of the year.
Daily closures for gate fender replacement at the Tennessee River’s Kentucky Lock were extended through Aug. 10, with delays noted up to 12 hours. The project was previously scheduled through July 24. Wilson Lock is shut to daytime travel through Aug. 8, triggering waits in a wide 6-42 hour range.
Arkansas River:
Van Buren Bridge repairs are set to begin on Aug. 22 and run through Sept. 8. Crews will attempt to pass waiting vessels following the ninth day of work, sources said, though shuttle barges will be permitted to pass whenever the channel is free of equipment. The bridge is located at Mile 300.8 of the Arkansas River.
Webbers Falls Lock will close on Aug. 26 through Sept. 8 for miter gate inspections. Sources predicted intermittent delays in the weeks leading up to the closure.