HASTINGS, Minn. — The Army Corps of Engineers, which controls inland navigation, ended the 2025 Upper Mississippi shipping season a few days earlier than usual. The Motor Vessel Sierra Dawn cleared Lock and Dam 2 near Hastings with 12 barges. The Corps usually keeps locks open to December 1. Winter maintenance now begins on locks on the Corps’ whole 244-mile St. Paul District stretch between Minneapolis and Guttenberg, Iowa.
Last lashing-up. Crews on the tow Sierra Dawn secure their 12-barge array for passage through the Hastings lock. The vessel is the season’s last.