Coast Guard officials said the "Delta Mariner" was in a recreational channel with less clearance than the shipping channel it should have used, where the lake depth is regularly maintained to allow for such vessels to pass.
When the vessel struck, it pulled down much of a 322-foot span of the bridge.
Ship owner Foss Maritime said it’s too early to say what caused the collision and that the ship made the trip many times in the past 10 years and had an experienced captain and local river pilot on board to help guide it.
It appeared there was no release of pollutants and no damage to its cargo of rocket boosters used by Air Force, NASA and private companies to send satellites into space.
The Transportation Cabinet checked if the span of the bridge over the navigation channel can be passed under by watercraft including barges that use the busy commercial waterway.