Mississippi River Reopens, Freeing Over 1,000 Stuck Barges
- Transit under bridge deemed safe for maritime traffic
- Waterway had been closed since Tuesday due to crack in bridge
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The U.S. Coast Guard has reopened the Mississippi River to maritime traffic, ending a shutdown that stranded more than 1,000 barges on the key conduit for agriculture exports.
The river reopened as of 9 a.m. Central Time on Friday, according to the Coast Guard, providing relief to a queue of 62 vessels and 1,058 barges stranded on the north and south sides of the Interstate 40 Hernando DeSoto Bridge near Memphis, Tennessee. The waterway had been closed since Tuesday after a crack was found in a truss of the bridge.