Runaway Barge Crashes into the Julien Dubuque Bridge

The Julien Dubuque Bridge had an accidental run in with a freight-hauling barge the other day.  Runaway barges are not usually a common topic in Iowa and Illinois, but last month was a rare occurrence. On June 9th, a tow of 15 barges and a bridge support were traveling downstream when the lead barge hit the Julien Dubuque Bridge and sent the others on their way. The bridge was closed to vehicle traffic for about 18 hours to conduct inspections. Witnesses say the vessels were traveling too fast for the pilot to maneuver them around the bridge. The current in that area of the river is strong, and doesn’t usually have a consistent pattern. Three of them lodged against the bridge, and several others were gathered by towboats. The nose of the barge was sticking out of the water, so it was easy to locate. It should have been pretty easy to rescue, but there were a couple things keeping that from happening: high water and SEVERE flooding.