3 Jul 2025

Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Lock Replacement Study: Hydrodynamic Modeling and Ship Simulation

Abstract: The Inner Harbor Navigation Canal (IHNC) Lock connects the Mississippi River to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, surrounded by developed areas in New Orleans, Louisiana. Tow transit times through the current IHNC lock take up to 20 hours. The US Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, has proposed constructing a new lock to reduce tow transit times significantly. However, the new lock will have potential effects on vehicle traffic patterns due to the three bridges across IHNC. To address potential navigation issues, hydrodynamic modeling and ship simulations of the study area were conducted for the three phases of the project: new lock construction, present lock deconstruction, and proposed new lock design. The hydrodynamic model was developed and validated to present conditions, simulating various water levels across the lock structure to provide water levels and currents for ship simulation. The ship simulation was used to record transit times to determine impacts of the waterborne vessel traffic on vehicular traffic due to bridge raising and lowering, as well as navigability of the bypass channels associated with lock construction and existing lock deconstruction. Elicitation from the towing industry was used to inform final design of the new IHNC lock and bypass channels.

10 May 2021

Investigation for Shoaling Reduction along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) at Caney Creek, Sargent, Texas

Purpose: This US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Regional Sediment Management (RSM) initiative considered alternatives for shoaling reduction in the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) in the vicinity of Caney Creek near Sargent, TX (Figure 1). Additionally, new beneficial use (BU) sites were considered along degraded islands adjacent to the GIWW with a threefold objective: increase the quality and quantity of habitat, reduce dredging cost via shorter pump distance, and reduce shoaling in the GIWW through East Matagorda Bay.