Roads reopen as river level goes down

Highway 74 in Dutchtown and Highway 177 running north of Cape Girardeau both have been reopened by the Missouri Department of Transportation.

"This opens up all the traffic arteries leading into Cape Girardeau," said Stan Johnson, MoDOT area engineer. Many area roads have been closed by rising water over the past two weeks as the Mississippi River rose to a crest of 45.7 feet at Cape Girardeau.

Highways 74 and 177 were opened to traffic Thursday. Highway 25, which runs from Jackson to Kennett, was opened Wednesday with the removal of the gravel levee near the intersection of Highway 25 and Route A.

Many of these routes had been closed since May 15, when the Army Corps of Engineers closed the Dutchtown intersection, Johnson said.

Route 25 was reopened Wednesday.

Interstate 55 has been faced with traffic congestion in its southbound lane with the closure of the Dutchtown exit. The congestion eased somewhat with the opening of a southbound lane, which had been closed for repairs on the Diversion Channel bridge. The lane will remain open through the Memorial Day weekend.

Forecasters are calling for some rain today and Saturday, but the Mississippi River is expected to continue falling, as much as 5 feet during the next four days, to about 34.2 feet.

--Southeast Missourian