U.S. Exporters Face More Strains as Bridge Crisis Halts Barges

The vital shipping artery that snakes through the middle of America and carries barges loaded with corn bound for China and other export markets has been blocked by a crack in a bridge.

Marine traffic on the Mississippi River is being halted around Memphis, Tennessee, where a fractured steel support under the Hernando DeSoto Bridge found earlier this week has diverted vehicular traffic and led to a pile-up of more than 900 barges on the water.