By Kevin Lavery, KWMU

St. Louis – salvage crews are making headway in retrieving a barge that sank in the Mississippi River last week.

The barge struck the Poplar Street Bridge near downtown St. Louis on August 2 and sank, forcing the Coast Guard to shut down a two-mile section of the river for two days.

Lieutenant Bill Clark says the salvage team has pulled up the rear of the barge with a crane.

"They are working on raising the forward end of the barge today, and as soon as they can raise that, they will move the barge out of the channel to effect temporary repairs," Clark said." "Following the temporary repairs they will float it to the shipyard for permanent repairs."

Clark says barge traffic is moving easily through that stretch of the river, though more slowly because of ongoing lock repairs upriver.

He says the salvage should be completed in about three days.

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