Local travel companies see delays, uptick as closures near St. Louis create detours

The Missouri Department of Transportation's road closings map quickly became a meme during this month's flooding, with social media using captions such as "Missouri closed today. Try using another state."

But for actual area businesses, closing isn't that simple.

Widespread road closures meant major headaches.

"It's been a challenge," said Bootheel Area Rapid Transportation (BART) shuttle service manager Terry Tripp.

BART's five or so Missouri shuttles use Interstate 55 every day, she said, so when there's even a threat of closure, she and her colleagues have to come up with contingency plans.

"Because of the expected closure or the actual closure of it, you don't really know," Tripp said. "So you have to do what is best for the company and the passengers."

This week, that has meant they cross the river into Illinois to get there and back.

A plane sits on the tarmac of Cape Girardeau Regional Airport on Thursday in Cape Girardeau.Ben Matthews ~ bmatthews@semissourian.com

"As far as locally, we've been able to do everything locally. Pick[ing] up people at their homes, we've done okay there," she said. "But that closure on I-55 shuts down a lot of people. Including us. It doesn't shut us down, but it slows us down."

Using alternate routes, she said, adds more than an hour to the trip from Cape Girardeau to St. Louis. While inconvenienced, she said travelers overall -- some of whom must make the trip for medical appointments or other important work -- are just happy to be getting to their destinations at all.

"It's a very inconvenient situation," she said. "But it's Mother Nature. ... You deal with it. Just like the people who are sitting in their homes deciding whether or not they need to sandbag."

Interstate 55 opened back up Thursday, which Tripp called a "ray of sunshine," but many travelers already have sought alternate modes of transport, meaning a bump in bookings at Cape Girardeau's airport.

"Thankfully, the water has not affected our day-to-day operations in Cape Girardeau," Cape Air marketing manager Erin Hatzell said via email. "We have been able to operate our regular schedule throughout the week."

But this weekend, she added, all Cape Air flights are booked to capacity.

Other industries, such as agriculture, have been less fortunate. Floodwater has caused such damage, the Cape Girardeau Farm Service Agency has released guidelines to help farmers learn whether they are eligible for cost-share assistance in rehabilitating damaged farmland.

Under Emergency Conservation Program guidelines, producers may be eligible for up to $200,000 of cost sharing to help remove debris, grade or reshape damaged land and restore other infrastructure, according to a public notice issued by the agency.

They urge producers who have suffered damage to call for more information at (573) 243-1467.

tgraef@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3627