Rising river could affect bridge construction

If the rising Mississippi River crests at 34.5 feet in Cape Girardeau Friday as forecast, construction on the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge could be hampered. The predicted crest is 2 feet above flood stage.

"We've got access roads that will become flooded," said Larry Owens, project manager for Traylor Brothers Inc., the construction contractor. "When it goes to 34 feet we will have trouble."

The company currently has three primary operations going: the superstructure erection on the Missouri pylon, substructure construction at Pier 3 and caisson work at Pier 4.

Work on Pier 3, which is in the middle of the river, would be most affected if the access roads flood because concrete trucks could be unable to deliver their loads, Owens said.

Flooding also increases the power of the river's current.

"We will continue to work as long as the current isn't too bad and we can hold the barges in position," Owens said. "If the current becomes too tough, we will have to stop working."

The more rapidly the river rises, the more difficult handling the current becomes, he said. At Cape Girardeau, the river is expected to rise to 30.4 feet today, to 32.6 feet Wednesday and to 34.1 feet Thursday before Friday's crest.

Will open pump stations

The rising river has the attention of other people as well. The Main Street Levee District will open its pumping stations Wednesday.

A 7-by-8 foot tunnel and gravity normally carry stormwater from the city's sewer system into the river. When the river rises to between 30 and 32 feet, the tunnel to the river is closed with a sluice gate. The levee district begins pumping the stormwater into the river to prevent the sewer system from backing up.

"If there was no way to relieve it, we could end up with more water inside the city than outside," said Andy Juden, who has been the district's president for 40 years.

The Mississippi was expected to crest at about 3 feet above flood stage today at Hannibal, Louisiana, Clarksville and Winfield. St. Louis's expected crest Wednesday is 2 feet below flood stage.

More rain predicted over parts of the state today and Wednesday could affect crests.

Little effect on barges

Barge traffic is little affected when the river goes a few feet over flood stage, says Bruce Engert, general manager of Missouri Barge Lines. "It just takes a lot more fuel to push them northbound."

The river must rise much higher for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to restrict barge traffic. That was done during the Great Flood of 1993 to prevent the wakes from barges from putting more pressure on levees.

Higher water and stronger currents do make navigation around bridges more interesting, Engert said.

"The river might get wider, but the piers don't change."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

sblackwell@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182