Greenville Bridge News

The Coast Guard reopened the Mississippi River at 8:35 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009, from mile markers 531 to 541. The Coast Guard closed the Mississippi River to all vessel traffic as the result of a towing vessel allision at approximately 5:20 a.m., this morning. The allision between the towing vessel C. B. Ford and the Old Greenville Bridge resulted in six rock barges breaking free. All barges have been recovered. The incident is under investigation.

Coast Guard Marine Safety Office Memphis, Tenn., along with two commercial vessels, responded to a bridge allision on the Lower Mississippi River, which occurred about 1:15 a.m. yesterday. The motor vessel Joe Bobzien, a U.S. flagged vessel pushing 30 barges, allided with the Greenville Bridge in Greenville, Miss., on the Mississippi-Arkansas border near U.S. Highway 82, causing 29 barges to go adrift; one grain barge sank near the bridge. All barges are recovered except two that are missing in a remote area nearby; officials say there are not enough resources to recover the barges at this time. The bridge is open to traffic, but the river is closed from mile marker 535 to 510. No injuries are reported. The cause of the accident is under investigation.