Last Tow Departs St. Paul As Upper Mississippi Closes

The mv. Sierra Dawn, operated by St. Louis-based American River Transportation Company (ARTCo), marked the closing of the navigation season on the Upper Mississippi River as it pushed the last tow to depart St. Paul, Minn., on November 25. It pushed 12 barges through the St.  Paul District’s Lock 2, near Hastings, Minn.

The last tow to leave St. Paul as the river ices over signals the unofficial end of the navigation season. The last tow of the 2024 navigation season was the mv. Ashley Danielson on December 1, 2024. The 2025 navigation season began with the arrival of the mv. Neil N. Diehl, which arrived March 19 in St. Paul with a nine-barge tow.

“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, Minn., and Lock and Dam 9, near Lynxville, Wis. Due to the scheduled maintenance, the St. Paul District locks and dams from St. Paul to Lynxville will be closed from December 8 through March 15, 2026.