River Closures and Restricted Movements

Ohio/Tennessee/Cumberland

  • McAlpine Lock Closure (OR 606) – Beginning April 29th thru June 27th, there will be intermittent daytime closures for southbound traffic from 0700 to 1900, Monday through Saturday, to facilitate work on the Portland Canal wall. Northbound traffic will be permitted to transit, provided there are no divers in the water.
  • New Cumberland Lock Closure (OR 54) – A scheduled primary chamber closure began at 0600 on February 28th thru May 28th to facilitate repairs.
  • Wilson Lock (TR 259.4) -Main Chamber Closure 07:00 9/25 due to cracks in miter gate pintle, repair time is now extended to July 2025.
  • Kentucky Lock Closure (TR 22.4) – Full closure beginning May 2nd at 0600 thru May 15th at 1800 has been put on hold as of May 7th at approx. 1915 due to Barkley Lock failure with miter gate. More info to come.
  • Barkley Lock Closure (CR 30.6) – Closed until further notice due to debris impacting the operation on the upstream miter gate as of May 7th at approx. 1915. Vessels should plan to use Kentucky Lock beginning May 8th until further notice.
  • Cheatham Lock Closure (CR 148.7) – Lock will be closed for scheduled repairs from March 3rd thru May 29th, 2025.

Chicago/Illinois/Upper Miss

  • Lock & Dam 19 Closure (UM 364.2) – Scheduled daily closures June 3rd thru June 5th, from 0800-1200 each day to allow maintenance.
  • Jefferson Drawbridge (IR 287.90) – Now locked in the open position. It will remain open until repairs are performed, dates are currently TBD.

Lower Miss/Gulf/Canals/Tenn Tom

Due to recent heavy rainfall, the Ohio and Lower Miss Rivers have been experiencing a historical flooding event. The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Warning for the entire region, with water levels expected to continue rising. As a result, we anticipate the following disruptions:

USCG Lock Restrictions/Closures:

  • Lower Miss River:
    • Daylight restrictions are in effect southbound through all bridges in the system.
    • Daylight restrictions are in effect at Vicksburg (LM 435).
    • An assist boat is required in Baton Rouge until the river reaches 35 feet at the bridges. Daylight restrictions remain in effect for tows over 100′ wide.

Dock and Port Services: Flooding conditions will cause some docks and fleeting locations to suspend operations. For questions regarding individual locations, please reach out to your local contacts.

We understand that these disruptions may cause inconvenience, and we appreciate your patience and understanding during this time. Our team is closely monitoring the situation and will provide updates as conditions change.

If you have any questions regarding freight destined to the Ohio or Lower Miss Rivers or need further assistance, please contact your Salesperson or Customer Experience Specialist.

  • Lower Miss Operational Impact –
    • Due to the current river stage and operating conditions, ACBL has implemented draft and tow-size restrictions listed below.
      • Loading drafts were reduced to 16% NBD Gulf to Cairo.
      • Tow size has been reduced pending horsepower classification by 28%-33% (10-11 barges)
      • Expect delay to transit of 24-to-48 hours due to reduced navigable space in certain areas.
  • Dardanelle Lock 10 (AK 205.5) – Scheduled daily closures with 70′ width restrictions from 0700-1900 beginning June 15th thru September 30th for construction.
  • James W. Trimble Lock (AK 292.8) – Scheduled daily closures with 70′ width restrictions from 0700-1900 beginning June 15th thru September 30th for construction.
  • Algiers Canal Closures (AC 3.8) –
    • Old Hwy 23 Lift Bridge will undergo daily channel closures from Monday to Saturday, between May 19th and October 25th, from 0600 to 1430, due to the second phase of the remaining bridge structure demolition.
  • Morley Lift Bridge Closures (PA 56) – There will be scheduled intermittent closures for several repairs:
    • May 22nd: 16-hour closure from 1900-1100
  • Bayou Sorrel Lock (PA 36.7) – May 19th 07:00: Passed 12 tows in the last 24 hours, which averaged 11.9 hours of delay. LPMS shows 3 tows waiting, which has an average of 17.3 hours of delay.
  • Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Lock (Industrial Canal Lock) – (EC001) – May 19th 07:00: Passed 10 tows in the last 24 hours, which averaged 46.9 hours of delay. LPMS shows 23 tows waiting, averaging 39.0 hours of delay.
  • Colorado River Locks (WC 440) – The East and West locks will have daytime restrictions Monday through Friday, January 29th thru May 16th has now been extended to June 27th.
  • Brazos Lock Closure (WC 401) – Daytime closures, originally scheduled from August 31, 2023, to April 30, 2025, have been extended through June 30, 2025. Closures will occur Monday through Friday from 0700 to 1900.
    • As of May 9th, high water and strong currents have been reported, this could lead to further delays.
  • Leland Bowman Lock Closure (WC 163)
    • 5- hour daytime closures will occur Monday through Friday, June 2nd through June 6th, to continue installation of new hydraulic pump units. May 19th 07:00: Passed 19 tows in the last 24 hours, which averaged 0.7 hours of delay. LPMS shows 1 tow waiting, averaging 13.0 hours of delay.
    • Intermittent closures Monday thru Friday, from 0700-1700, to continue making repairs to the guide walls on the following dates:
      • June 9th – Jun 19th
      • June 23rd – July 3rd
      • July 7th – July 18th