Just passed Highway 61 bridge at Hastings and into locks at the Army Corps’ Dam 2. Almost to St. Paul. Marking the new commercial shipping season on the Upper Mississippi.
Season’s first tow enters Hastings locks
HASTINGS, Minn. —The Motor Vessel Crockett cleared the locks at Hastings in the late afternoon, winning the race to open the Upper Mississippi to 2026 shipping. The Crockett was pushing two barges. The small array was immediately followed by four other tows that had trailed the Crockett through Lake Pepin, where little ice remained. The Crockett’s lockage, on March 23, was typical. The historical average is the third week in Mach. The earliest were on March 4 in 1983, 1984 and 2000.