Starting late November through early December, barge traffic can expect delays on the Mississippi River near Thebes, IL, as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is scheduled to begin a rock removal dredging operations at that site, U.S. Department of Agriculture said in its latest release.
“ The U.S. Coast Guard will restrict northbound tows to 28 barges and southbound tows to 15 barges during dredging operations. Work will be done during daylight hours, 7 days a week,” according to the announcement.
There is no estimate of project duration at this time.
The need to dredge at this site has been an issue from late 2012 and early 2013 when extreme low water conditions threatened to stop navigation.
During January 2013, rock removal operations and timely regional rainfall made water levels safe for navigation.
Presently, the proposed rock removal activities are a preventive measure for future extreme low water events.
The project has been postponed several times over the years due to higher than expected rivers levels that prevent the dredging activities.
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