American Currents

ACBL’s Daily River Conditions

Ohio River Shoaling at Cumberland Bar (OR 926) – Due to shoaling and draft concerns below Smithland (OR 920-926), transit was delayed 6/19 – 6/27. Drafts have been reduced to 10′ full river on the Ohio, and a majority of the heavier drafting equipment has transited the area. Following rain in the Ohio Valley, expect a light rise and lightering/trimming operations to resolve heavier equipment by the close of the week.

Cannelton Lock Main Chamber Closure (OR 720) – Main Chamber will close for repairs July 5th through November 19th. Traffic will pass through the Auxiliary chamber, requiring two cuts for most tows. Expect delays similar to the recent Belleville Lock closure (18-36 Hr).

Racine Lock Intermittent Closures (OR 237) – Under-water inspections will drive 8-hr closures daily at Racine Lock 6/28 – 6/30.

Cheatham Lock Closure (CR 149) – Complete closure began as planned Monday, May 16th and will run through August 5th with 5 openings scheduled to pass traffic. Click here for the closure/opening schedule. Expect six 2-week time periods with 11 days of closure followed by 3 days of unrestricted operation. Delays may climb to 5-10 days depending on arrival in the lock queue and disrupt service to/from Nashville. Click Here for ACBL’s Commercial Update to our Customers impacted by this closure.

Pickwick Lock Main Chamber Closure (TR 206) – During a routine inspection, a potential structural issue was found in the Main Chamber and as a result the chamber is closed to navigation effective immediately (May 24th). Auxilliary chamber remains available for transit and can run 9-regulation barges. This issue is driving minimal delay to transit.

Illinois River Reopened near Peoria (IR 166) – Due to a sunken tug vessel in the channel, the Illinois River was closed to transit Saturday night 6/25 through Monday night 6/27. Expect delays to last through Wed, 6/29.

Brandon Road Lock Restriction and Closure 2022 (IR 286) -Repair Closures begin May 9th, and will carry through September 8th. First phase is a Daytime hour closure, with a 70’ width restriction when lock is open nightly. August 15th thru September 4th will see a Full Closure. We are currently seeing approx. 7-hrs delay and had 3 tows waiting this morning. Click Here for ACBL’s Commercial Update to our Customers impacted by the full closure this August.

Norrell Lock (AK 10) – Projecting intermittent closures for repairs and a 70′ width restriction starting June 1st, 2022 thru September 19th with a full closure August 1st thru 10th. Intermittent closures will resume September 30th thru January 1st, 2023, with a full closure September 30th thru October 9th.

Harahan Daily Closure (LM 107) – Potential daily closure starting July 6th for power line work for approximately 20 days. More details to come.

Bayou Sorrel Daytime Closures (PA 37) – Since March 17th, Bayou Sorrel has a planned closure 06:30 – 17:00 Monday through Friday for repairs. The lock resumed normal operations on May 6th, but is planning to resume the closure on July 11th. Projected to last till Feb 28th, 2023.

Calcasieu Lock Closure (WC 239) – Daylight Closures 0700 – 1800 Mon – Thurs March 22nd through August 25th. Expect 24-36 hrs delay and potentially more pending ability to clear the backlog daily.

Brazzos Floodgates (WC 401) – Daylight Closures 0700 – 1700 Mon – Fri through July 1st. Expect 24-36 hrs delay.

Industry Manpower Issues – The Inland Maritime Industry continues seeing major shortages of manpower. This is directly impacting the ability to crew towboats. As a result, expect 1-2 day delays in boat timings throughout the system, increasing overall barge transits in kind. ACBL has taken measures to increase our workforce throughout the system. The safety of our Mariners is our highest operating priority. Accordingly, ACBL has implemented measures and training programs to keep all of our team members safe.