Loose barges close Vicksburg bridge
Published 1:24pm Thursday, October 22, 2009VICKSBURG (AP) — The four-lane Interstate 20 bridge over the Mississippi River has been reopened to vehicular traffic Thursday after it was closed as a precaution after barges broke loose on the river.
The bridge was closed by the Mississippi Department of Transportation. The span, the only bridge across the river between Natchez and Greenville, reopened about 9 a.m. after officials with the Louisiana Department of Transportation completed a structural inspection.
Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace tells the Vicksburg Post that three barges broke loose from a southbound tow about 6:15 a.m. Thursday, and at least one hit the old U.S. Highway 80 bridge, which is just north of the interstate bridge. The old bridge has been closed to vehicle traffic for several years.
