CAIRO, Ill. — Last week's freezing temperatures were still taking their toll on ships and barges Tuesday. Nearly 15 miles of the upper Mississippi River were blocked by ice—all the way north of Cairo, Illinois. All this ice disrupted river traffic last weekend, leading to severe congestion.
Ships and barges were slowed for miles, and the upper Mississippi River was covered in ice from mile mark 3 to mile mark 16.
Lt. Culp of Paducah Marine Safety said the ice formed in the north and got here, where freezing temperatures over the past week caused the ice to build up. “So yesterday afternoon, about 2 o'clock, there was an ice canyon, which was essentially a huge buildup on the I-57 bridge, and it caused the river to actually back up. It stopped the flow of the river, and it broke down yesterday afternoon, “He said.
“So there's a lot of ice flowing into the lower Mississippi River, and yesterday's rain and warm temperatures are helping to melt the ice,” Lt. Culp said. Until then, he said people should stay away from the water.
They have seen incidents of ships getting stuck in the ice. “We had a situation where a tugboat might have a buoy that was actually wrapped around the vessel. A lot of the ancillary equipment had become detached and was floating free with the ice, so the channel wasn't marked the way it should be,” Culp said. said the lieutenant.
Lieutenant Culp said the Mississippi River should remain ice-free for the next day or two. Heavy fog also prevented many ships and barges from returning to normal operations.
