ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — Editor's note: The video above aired on April 27, 2023.
Mississippi River floodwaters have stopped all barge traffic from Lock and Dam 17 north, according to a report from the United State Department of Agriculture.
In the weekly Grain Transportation Report, the American Commercial Barge Lines reported that as of April 24, it had no boats on the Upper Mississippi River above St. Louis, Missouri due to flooding conditions and lock closures.
Lock 17 near New Boston, Illinois and all locks north have been closed, and no freight is being accepted along the Twin Cities and Mid-Mississippi portions of the river.
The closures are expected to last three weeks.
Further closures could be put in place by May 5, closing the locks as far south as Lock 22, located near Saverton, Missouri.
Lock and Dam 15 officially closed to local traffic on Thursday, April 27. The status of the lock closures around the Quad Cities region can be checked on the U.S. Corps of Engineers Rock Island District website.
The USDA report warns that the closures and slower-than-normal grain sales have resulted in below-normal barge freight rates. As a result, the lower rates may lead some companies to reduce the number of barges they have in service.
