The stretch of the Mississippi River that was closed after multiple grain-carrying barges broke loose was partially reopened on Friday, according to Reuters.
But the US Coast Guard (USCG) has set limitations on what vessels can pass while investigators continue dealing with the aftermath of the incident in which the towboat Michael G Morris struck the Thebes Railroad Bridge in Illinois, loosing 30 laden barges.
Towboats will be allowed to pass through a safety zone between mile markers 40 and 44 provided that they carry significantly fewer barges than usual (15 for southbound vessels and 20 for northbound ones). These transits can be only in daylight and by one-way traffic.
Two barges sank in the incident. The other 28 were recovered. Nobody was injured and USCG is investigating what caused the crash.
