ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Army Corps awarded a $31.7 million contract to LS Marine of Inver Grove Heights to keep Mississippi River navigation channels dredged to nine feet. The contract runs through 2029. The contract also covers the Minnesota, St. Croix and Black rivers plus some work farther downriver. The Corps project manager, Nick Castellane, said a navigable channel is an economic necessity for shippers. A typical 15-barge tow can carry as much cargo as1,050 semis or 200 rail cars, he said.
