In another sign of winter, the last Mississippi River barge departed St. Paul last weekend.

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ St. Paul district, the M.V. Ashley Danielson and its barge tow headed south from Lock and Dam 2 near Hastings at 11:48 a.m. Sunday, ending the 2024 shipping season on the upper Mississippi.

The 2024 navigation season started March 17 when the M.V. Joseph Patrick Eckstein and its barge tow passed through Lock and Dam 2.

The Corps of Engineers says its attention now turns to winter maintenance along its upper Mississippi navigation channel and 13 locks and dams between Minneapolis-St. Paul and Guttenberg, Iowa.

Maintenance projects are scheduled at Locks and Dams 7 and 9 for miter gate anchorage bar replacement; Lock and Dam 2 for guidewall repairs; and Locks and Dams 5 and 5A for gate maintenance.

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