BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A highway bridge over the Mississippi River that was struck by two runaway barges has been re-opened after inspectors gave it a safety check.
The U.S. Highway 190 bridge at Baton Rouge was opened around 4 p.m., hours after the Saturday afternoon accident, according to state transportation department spokeswoman Jodi Conachen.
Twenty-five barges under tow on the Mississippi River broke loose north of the bridge.
What caused the barges to break loose was not clear. Coast Guard Petty Officer Casey Ranel said they all have been contained and no injuries were reported.