U.S. Gulf: Elevated water conditions persisted in the Gulf last week, prompting reduced tow sizes and increased transit times, sources said. Towing restrictions were projected to remain in place through April 17.
The gauge at Baton Rouge read 31.88 feet on April 13, above the 30-foot action stage. Nation Weather Service (NWS) predictions called for levels to begin declining around April 16. A flood warning remained in effect in the Red River Landing area.
Natchez levels showed 44.69 feet and falling slowly on April 13, higher than the 38-foot action stage. Forecasters expected water levels to recede to 42.5 feet on April 18.
The Corps put Algiers Lock delays as high as 18 hours last week, with 18 vessels in line on April 13. Ongoing Harvey Lock repairs sent traffic detouring through Algiers Lock, swelling Algiers wait times. Harvey is slated to return to service on April 30.
Bayou Sorrel Lock wait times were reported up to 22 hours. High-water conditions pushed the differential between the lock’s flood-side and land-side gauges higher than three feet for the week, necessitating safety restrictions. Twelve boats were queued at Bayou Sorrel on April 13.
Port Allen Lock waits were called 2-5 hours for the week, and Industrial Lock navigation was reported up to 21 hours with 22 vessels awaiting service. Lock inspections and diving operations were scheduled to close Industrial Lock during daylight hours on April 18.
The Corps has yet to announce concrete details regarding Industrial Lock’s 120-day shutdown scheduled for fall. Early plans called for dredging the Baptiste Collette channel to use as an alternate route, but an unexpected lack of funds may necessitate the scuttling of other dredge projects in order to finance the work. Should that strategy prove untenable, the Corps may elect to push the project back to 2017, sources said. Shippers noted possible closure dates of Aug. 1 through Nov. 29 should the project proceed in 2016.
Transit clearance beneath the West Port Arthur Bridge is reduced by a minimum three feet through April 30, shippers said, thanks to maintenance and painting work underway at the bridge. High water closed the Charenton, East Calumet, and West Calumet floodgates for the week.
High-water conditions triggered Brazos Lock transit restrictions, pushing wait times into the 2-4 hour range. Additionally, an intermittent shutdown warning on Monday-through-Friday daylight navigation was in effect through April 29. Repairs were in progress at both the lock’s east and west floodgates.
Lower Mississippi River: High-water conditions were reported on the Lower Mississippi, ranging from Cairo to the Gulf of Mexico. Transit restrictions were in effect for southbound tows, capping barges at 75 percent of normal. Shippers expected the restrictions to be lifted April 17.
The Vicksburg gauge sank below the 35-foot action stage on April 13, reading 34.53 feet and falling on April 14. A flood warning remained in effect for the area through April 19. Memphis levels were 12.81 feet and rising on April 14, below the previous week’s 18.35-foot mark.
Upper Mississippi River: Transit restrictions were in place at Miles 20-44 for the week, stemming from an April 6 incident where a tow vessel struck the Thebes Railroad Bridge, sinking two barges.
Southbound tows were limited to 25 barges in daylight-only navigation, while northbound vessels were allowed 28 barges during daylight hours and 35 barges on overnight transit. Shippers said crews were working to raise the sunken barges on April 14, and warned the operations could trigger intermittent full-river closures.
The Corps called Lock 27 delays 1-2 hours for the week, with Lock 20 adding an additional 1-3 hours for transit. Mel Price Lock wait times clocked in at just over an hour.
NWS data put St. Louis river levels at 18.33 feet and falling on April 14, slightly above the prior week’s 18.23 feet. Forecasts called for the gauge to recede to 9.2 feet by April 27.
Illinois River: Shippers said the Illinois River’s T.J. O’Brien Lock was offline during daylight hours of April 12. No waiting was reported at the lock on April 14.
Lockport Lock experienced delays of about an hour, and Brandon Road Lock saw wait times of up to six hours for the week. Marseilles Lock and Dam quoted navigation delays of 1-2 hours, and Starved Rock Lock also saw waits of 1-2 hours. Dams were down at both the Peoria and LaGrange Locks, allowing boats to transit without locking.
Ohio River: Shippers quoted wait times at Emsworth Lock in the 1-2 hour range, while Dashields Lock navigation required up to five hours for the week. Montgomery Lock and Dam passage fell in the 1-3 hour range, and R.C. Byrd Lock reported delays of 1-2 hours.
Locks 52 and 53 lowered wickets again last week, allowing vessels to pass without locking. Nevertheless, congestion pushed Lock 52 delays to 1-2 hours.
The Cincinnati river gauge showed levels at 31.89 feet and rising on April 13. Forecasts expected the gauge to peak at 36 feet on April 15, shy of the 40-foot action stage, before reversing course and touching the 30.2-foot mark on April 18.
Depths at Cairo read 28.0 feet and rising on April 13. The NWS projected levels of 31.5 feet on April 17, just below the area’s 32-foot action stage.
The auxiliary chamber at New Cumberland Lock, shut down since April 4, is scheduled to remain offline through May 27. The Corps will reopen the unit on April 16-17, April 30 through May 1, and May 15-16 to pass queued vessels.
The Montgomery Lock main chamber is scheduled to go offline May 16 through June 10, with major delays expected, sources said. The chamber will open temporarily to clear waiting traffic on May 28-29 and June 4-5.
Greenup Lock will see its main chamber closed April 15 through Sept. 30, leading shippers to warn of substantial delays. Greenup’s auxiliary unit was unavailable on April 14 while repairs were performed.
Louisville passage will be unavailable at Mile 602-606 on April 22-23 due to Thunder Over Louisville events.
The main chamber at Emsworth Lock is scheduled to shut down July 5 through Aug. 10, reopening for the weekends of July 16-17 and July 30-31. The site’s auxiliary chamber will not be available for transit during the closure, making delays likely.
Maintenance on the Tennessee River’s Chickamauga Lock will force sporadic 10-11 hour shutdowns through May 12, shippers said. The work has been underway since March 28.
The Monongahela River’s Braddock Lock and Dam river chamber remained unavailable last week. Equipment failure has rendered the chamber unusable in 2016, forcing transit through the site’s land chamber instead.
On the Cumberland River, diving operations were expected to prompt waits of up to four hours at Cheatham Lock on April 18-21.
Arkansas River: Maintenance operations will shut down Webbers Falls Lock in the upstream direction on May 16-22, shippers said. The lock is scheduled to close downstream Aug. 24 through Sept. 11.