MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A backlog of 62 vessels and 1,062 barges resumed moving past Memphis and under the damaged M Bridge. The Coast Guard captain for the Port Memphis, Ryan Rhodes, said the Tennessee Department of Transportation had determined that transit under the bridge would be “stable enough” for maritime traffic. The river is open to all vessel traffic without restrictions, Rhodes said. The Coast Guard will use its queue management protocols with the barge industry to assure an orderly flow of vessels. Meanwhile, engineers were assessing how to repair the six-lane Interstate 40 bridge for trucks and cars.
