Barge traffic on Mississippi River stalled due to cracked bridge in Memphis

From SUCCESSFUL FARMING –

The closure of a Mississippi River bridge on the Tennessee-Arkansas state line sent the grain markets nosediving Thursday.

Overnight, the farm markets made a slight recovery, looking to start Friday’s session higher.

As of Friday morning, there are currently 52 vessels with a total of 901 barges in the queue, according to the U.S. Coast Guard’s 8th District office. 

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), in conjunction with the U.S. Coast Guard, is conducting an inspection on the cracked beam.  

“It will be up to TDOT officials to determine if the bridge is safe enough for maritime traffic,” Carlos Galarza, petty officer, Coast Guard’s 8th District, told Successful Farming late Thursday afternoon.