ST. PAUL, Minn. – The last tow of the 2025 Upper Mississippi River navigation season departed St. Paul, Minnesota, Tuesday, Nov. 25. The Motor Vessel Sierra Dawn departed late afternoon enroute to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, Lock and Dam 2, near Hastings, Minnesota, with 12 barges. Traditionally, the last tow to depart St. Paul and head south of Lock and Dam 2, marks the unofficial end of the navigation season. It typically happens around the last week of November or the first week of December. The last tow of the 2024 navigation season was the Motor Vessel Ashley Danielson; she departed Dec. 1, 2024. The 2025 navigation season started with the arrival of the Motor Vessel Neil N. Diehl when she arrived in St. Paul March 19, with nine barges. “It’s a bittersweet milestone when the last tow departs,” said Mitch Serjogins, St. Paul District acting locks and dams chief. “It’s the end of the season, but the work is not done. Maintenance becomes our priority over the winter to ensure we continue providing a reliable navigation channel for the movement of commodities up and down the Mississippi River.” Serjogins said St. Paul District staff are working on maintenance projects scheduled at Lock and Dam 7, near La Crescent, Minnesota, and Lock and Dam 9, near Lynxville, Wisconsin. Due to the scheduled maintenance, the St. Paul District locks and dams from St. Paul to Lynxville will be closed Dec. 8 – March 15, 2026. The St. Paul District navigation program provides a safe, reliable, cost-effective and environmentally sustainable waterborne transportation system on the Upper Mississippi River for the movement of commercial goods and for national security needs. To do this, the district maintains a 9-foot navigation channel and 13 locks and dams from Minneapolis to Guttenberg, Iowa. Keeping this system open is vital to the nation’s economy. -30-
| Date Taken: | 11.26.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 11.26.2025 10:50 |
| Story ID: | 552467 |
| Location: | ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, US |
| Web Views: | 21 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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