Some roads reopen as floodwaters recede

As Mississippi River floodwaters recede in the Cape Girardeau area, most county roads and highways have reopened, but a handful remain closed.

Highway 177, just north of Cape Girardeau, reopened this week after being closed for two weeks because of backwater flooding from the Mississippi River, said Matt Seiler, an assistant district engineer with the Missouri Department of Transportation.

However, Mark Phillips, an engineer with the Cape Special Road District, said County Road 657, also known as Old Route V, and County Road 651 remain under water.

County Road 233 north of Allenville is impassable, as well as County Road 236 between County Road 233 and Whitewater, according to the Cape Girardeau County Emergency Management office.

A section of Kingshighway by the diversion channel also remains closed, Seiler said.

But with high waters expected to recede this week, he said, "We're not anticipating any additional closures right now."

The river reached a crest of about 43 feet last week -- more than 11 feet above official flood stage for Cape Girardeau -- causing major flooding in the area.

The river level on Monday returned to "moderate stage" flooding, which is between 42 feet and 37 feet, according to the National Weather Service in Paducah, Kentucky.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the flood stage was 40 feet and is expected to decrease throughout the week. The river will fall to about 38 feet by Saturday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service, and will remain between 38 and 39 feet through Monday.

klamb@semissourian.com

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