The ten busiest locks
Ranked by barges moved since the archive began. Each dot is one lockage; height is how long the tow waited.
Rank by:
Top ten by barges moved
| Lock | Waterway | Lockages | Barges | Median commercial wait |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olmsted Locks and Dam (OH-79) | Ohio River | 614 | 5,301 | 3.76 h |
| Smithland Lock and Dam (OH-78) | Ohio River | 499 | 4,751 | 2.20 h |
| Newburgh Lock and Dam (OH-76) | Ohio River | 510 | 4,590 | 0.62 h |
| John T. Myers Lock & Dam (OH-77) | Ohio River | 495 | 4,192 | 0.64 h |
| McAlpine Locks and Dam (OH-42) | Ohio River | 398 | 3,987 | 0.02 h |
| Cannelton Lock and Dam (OH-75) | Ohio River | 408 | 3,811 | 0.34 h |
| Belleville Locks and Dam (OH-21) | Ohio River | 371 | 3,395 | 0.46 h |
| Chain of Rocks Lock and Dam 27 (MI-27) | Mississippi River | 533 | 3,223 | 1.43 h |
| Calcasieu Lock (GI-08) | Gulf Intracoastal Waterway | 1,274 | 3,201 | 5.08 h |
| Willow Island Locks and Dam (OH-72) | Ohio River | 414 | 3,192 | 0.15 h |
Archive contains 192 lock records; 173 have recorded traffic. Data built 2026-10-05T14:17:12Z. Coverage varies by lock.