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More lock closures on the Mississippi River
Rising flood waters on the mid- and upper-Mississippi River forced the US Army Corps of Engineers to close more of the river this week.
Ron Fournier, public affairs officer for the Army Corps’ Rock Island district says as of early Wednesday morning Lock 20 and Lock 12 were closed to commercial traffic. That brings total lock closures on the mid and upper Mississippi to five. He tells Brownfield as the river continues to rise, six more locks are expected to close by July 4th.
The Rock Island District is home to Locks 11 through 22 and is the busiest stretch of the Mississippi River, the main shipping route to the US Gulf Coast. Fournier says with this section closed, no grain can be moved down the river for export.
He says it is unknown how long the locks and dams on the Mississippi will be shut down.
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