The Coast Guard will close a one-mile stretch of the Mississippi River on Friday and Saturday evenings as a safety measure during the Fair St. Louis Fourth of July celebrations.

The safety zone prohibits all commercial and recreational vessel traffic from operating on the Mississippi River between the Poplar Street Bridge at mile marker 179.0 and the Eads Bridge at mile marker 180.0 during air shows and fireworks displays.

The safety zone is scheduled to be in effect from 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on both July 6 and July 7.

Notice to mariner broadcasts will provide information on VHF channels 16 and 22A. The Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary, Missouri Water Patrol and the St. Louis Fire Department will patrol the area. Violating the safety can bring potential federal or civil penalties.

Additional information on the river closures can be found at the Coast Guard Sector Upper Mississippi River Homeport website at https://homeport.uscg.mil/port-directory/upper-mississippi-river-(st-louis

Contributing Editor Kirk Moore was a reporter for the Asbury Park Press for over 30 years before joining WorkBoat in 2015. He wrote several award-winning stories on marine, environmental, coastal and military issues that helped drive federal and state government policy changes. He has also been an editor for WorkBoat’s sister publication, National Fisherman, for over 25 years. Moore was awarded the Online News Association 2011 Knight Award for Public Service for the “Barnegat Bay Under Stress,” 2010 series that led to the New Jersey state government’s restoration plan. He lives in West Creek, N.J.