BILOXI, Miss. – The Coast Guard has reopened the waterway through the Popps Ferry Bridge on Back Bay and approved a salvage plan to remove damaged, sunken barges and debris. Salvage operations are scheduled to begin today.
The Coast Guard has issued a safety zone allowing vessels to transit the area at minimum safe speed to facilitate salvage and debris removal operations.
Coast Guard Sector Mobile received a call from the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources at approximately 7:40 a.m., Friday, March 20, 2009, reporting that the bridge had collapsed onto the barges of the towing vessel Cheryl Stegbauer, after the towing vessel allided with the bridge.
The cause of the incident is under investigation.
