No injuries reported after bridge hit by barges near Savanna on April 24

By Shaw Local News Network

May 01, 2022 at 5:05 pm CDT

White pelicans and gulls feed behind one pilot boat as it moves a barge north on the Mississippi River recently while another boat waits to pass through the lock at Lock & Dam 13 between Fulton and Thomson. Several barges broke loose from their pilot boat on April 24 and stuck the Savanna-Sabula bridge causing traffic to be closed on the bridge while crews performed safety inspections. The bridge reopened later in the day. No injuries were reported. (Earleen Hinton/Shaw Media)

SAVANNA — The Savanna-Sabula bridge that spans the Mississippi River was temporarily closed April 24 after being hit by a barge around noon.

The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office said traffic was halted for both lanes of the bridge.

On April 25, the Savanna Fire Department issued a press release stating that the fire department was dispatched for several barges that had broken free from their tug at 10:48 a.m. on April 24. and were drifting toward the bridge.

“It was also reported that three employees were on board one of the sections that had broken free. The Savanna Fire Department responded with two fire boats and were quickly able to remove the three employees from the barge,” the release said.

The 6-barge section occupied by the employees, a 2-barge section and a single, had already made it past the bridge before the fire department arrived on the scene, the press release said.

The Savanna Police Department told the fire department that the single barge had struck the bridge and was taking on water, the release said.

“A tug from Sabula (Larson) had been contacted and was able to gain control of the six and two section units on the Iowa side while the sinking single eventually ran aground out of the channel on the Illinois side,” the release said. “While this was taking place in front of Savanna, the tug that lost the barges was buy gathering up additional barge sections that were still north of the bridge.

“Due to the collision with the bridge, the Illinois Department of Transportation along with the Savanna Fire Department, Savanna Police Department and law enforcement from Iowa, shut down the bridge for several hours while crews inspected the bridge for damage. IDOT open the bridge just after 2 p.m. No injuries were reported.”