Loose Barges Strike Upper Miss Dam 11

A tow of hopper barges loaded with corn and soybeans broke apart and bumped up against Lock and Dam 11 in Dubuque, Iowa, temporarily shutting the lock but causing no damage. The incident happened on the afternoon of May 4, and the lock was open for commercial traffic by the next day. One barge passed through a dam gate but caused no damage before being retrieved.

Two sunken barges remain upstream from the dam, but not in the shipping channel, according to Rock Island District spokesperson Allen Marshall. Responders are waiting for the high water to recede before retrieving them.

The barges were being pushed by the mv. Miss Dorothy, operated by Western Rivers Boat Management Inc. of Paducah, Ky. The 4,200 hp., twin-screw boat, originally named Eastern, was built in 1956 by Dravo Corporation at Neville Island, Pa.

Marshall said traffic is beginning to pick up at the lock; there were 11 tows waiting for transit when it reopened May 5. The lock was due for two scheduled 36-hour closures to repair a miter gate, one beginning May 10.