U.S. Gulf/River: Ice on the Upper Ohio River severely limited operations, shippers said, with significant delays expected over the next 5-8 days. The Belleville Lock auxiliary chamber was scheduled to reopen Feb. 27.
Repairs to T.J. O’Brien Lock on the Illinois River, underway since Jan. 21, could stretch longer than the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ projected March 8 completion date due to cold weather. Operations on the river, already said to face “major delays” due to the repairs, were further hampered by ice flows.
On the Upper Mississippi River, scheduled maintenance at Lock 27, previously set to run Feb. 18 through March 7, was pushed back to March 2-20 due to extreme weather conditions. Wait times of 2-4 hours were reported at Lock 27 for the week. Upper Mississippi locks are due to begin reopening for the 2015 navigation season starting March 4 with Locks 12 and 13. Locks 17 and 20 are scheduled to come online March 6, and Lock and Dam 5A near Fountain City, Wisc., will reopen March 9, according to the Corps.
Icy conditions persisted on the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers. The Monongahela’s Braddock Lock and Dam main chamber remained offline last week due to equipment failure, though the site’s land chamber was operational.
Main chamber repairs at the Kanawha River’s Winfield Lock, previously slated to begin Feb. 20, were pushed back to March 31, shippers said. Major delays are expected throughout the operation’s 4-6 week run time.
The Cumberland River’s Cheatham Lock shut down Feb. 21 due to unsafe river conditions. The Corps announced a closure at Old Hickory Lock from July 14 through Aug. 4, with significant transit delays expected.
Tennessee River shipping operators reported navigation slowdowns to Knoxville last week due to heavy barge congestion, and the Wilson Lock main chamber was offline Feb. 23-27 for maintenance. The work was scheduled to continue on March 16-20, and again May 5 through June 11. Wheeler Lock was closed for four hours on the morning of Feb. 23 for lock inspection.
Weir dike construction at Mile 634 on the Lower Mississippi wrapped up on Feb. 23. Gulf-area delays were reported at Industrial Lock (8-10 hours), Bayou Sorrel Lock (1-2 hours), Port Allen Lock (one hour), and Algiers Lock (one hour).
Repairs to the BNSF Railroad vertical lift bridge at Morgan City, La., is expected to slow daytime transit from Feb. 23 through March 7, and normal daylight navigation was slated to resume Feb. 28 at Calcasieu Lock.