Some 69 barges and other craft remained backed up early Friday at a Mississippi River lock that feeds the primary barge route between Louisiana and Florida, the US Army Corps of Engineers said. The Corps website indicated 45 ships were backed up on the river side of the Inner Harbor Canal Lock and 24 were waiting in Lake Ponchartrain near New Orleans mid-morning Friday. The gear that operates the river entry to the lock sheared in half on the evening of January 3, Corps spokesman Rickey Boyett said. Repairs are expected to be completed by January 17, he said. The 5.5-mile lock feeds the saltwater Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, which runs 1,100 miles from Brownsville, Texas, to Carrabelle, Florida. The waterway is the primary link for barged gasoline shipments moving from the Gulf Coast to Florida. “The backup has been holding steady. As news has […]