Mississippi River traffic to reopen soon

[CHICAGO] Mississippi River barge traffic could reopen today at the earliest, government officials said on Wednesday, a day after a barge struck a railroad bridge at Sabula, Iowa, forcing the closure of a 3.2 km stretch of the country's busiest waterway.

The US Coast Guard was investigating damage to the railroad bridge owned by Canadian Pacific Railroad Ltd while the US Army Corps of Engineers was travelling to the site to survey the waters for any debris. "Currently the river is closed to vessel traffic. It will be closed through Friday at least," said Mike Reed, chief of prevention for the Coast Guard's upper Mississippi River sector.

A vessel towing 15 barges upriver hit the bridge on Tuesday, damaging a portion of the protective pier. The bridge was not structurally damaged and reopened to train traffic by 6 pm CDT (2300 GMT) on Tuesday, said Canadian Pacific spokesman Ed Greenberg. "There were no trains on or near the bridge when the accident took place," Mr Greenberg said.