U.S. Gulf/River: Despite a series of rolling cold fronts reported for the week, all Illinois River locks were reported to be operational except for O’Brien Lock, which will be closed through March 8 for repairs. Rake barges remained the preferred loading apparatus on the Illinois while the frigid conditions persist.
On the Upper Mississippi River, a two-boat average queue length at Lock 27 prompted transit delays of about an hour for the week. The lock’s main chamber will shut down between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. daily on Feb. 18 through March 7 for maintenance, and the lock’s auxiliary lock will be offline through March 20.
Weir construction at Upper Mississippi Mile 2.5, responsible for intermittent delays and closures since Feb. 1, was slated to end Feb. 14. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continued to push back the start of its rock removal project at Thebes, Ill., until river flows recede to the 11.5-foot mark at Cape Girardeau, Mo. Flows were expected to rise to 13.7 feet by Feb. 13.
Emergency repairs at the Ohio River’s Lock 52, originally scheduled to begin on Feb. 10, were scrapped due to strong currents. Delays of an hour or less were reported at R.C. Byrd Lock. Daytime transit through the auxiliary chamber of the Ohio’s Belleville Lock will be unavailable through Feb. 27, though use of the main chamber was available. Repairs at Newburgh Lock will force intermittent closures April 6 through May 19.
The Monongahela River’s Braddock Lock main chamber remained offline due to ongoing equipment failure. Navigation was available through the lock’s land chamber. On the Allegheny River, the presence of ice continued to hamstring operations last week. Major delays are also anticipated at the Kanawha River’s Winfield Lock, with repairs expected to shutter the lock’s main chamber from Feb. 25 through April 30.
A series of delays were announced for the Tennessee River’s Wilson Lock. Repairs will halt daytime transit through the lock on Feb. 23-27, March 16-20, and May 5 through June 11. The auxiliary chamber will remain open for the duration.
A potential late summer closure at the Arkansas River’s Montgomery Point Lock could see navigation completely stopped between Aug. 24 and Sept. 30.
Channel revetment work at the Lower Mississippi’s Mile 634 complicated daytime transit for the week. Shippers believed the work could temporarily conclude on Feb. 16. The project is expected to run through April 1.
Gulf-area locks experiencing delays included Industrial Lock (4-6 hours), Algiers Lock (2-3 hours), Bayou Sorrel Lock (2-7 hours), and Port Allen Lock (1-2 hours). Daytime transit limitations through Calcasieu Lock were projected to conclude on Feb. 28.