Mississippi reopens near St. Louis after barge collision
CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Mississippi River reopened to vessel traffic on Tuesday following a barge collision just north of St. Louis that forced the closure of the river for about 14 hours, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
The river reopened to vessel traffic at about 2:30 p.m. CDT (1900 GMT), Coast Guard spokesman Dana Schmitt said.
Traffic was halted at the Melvin Price Lock and Dam at 12 a.m. CDT when a tow vessel pushing 15 barges loaded with grain struck the lock. There were no injuries and no threat of pollution, Schmitt said.
"They were able to fix the lock quicker than anticipated," he said.
(Reporting by Michael Hirtzer; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
