WATER BEGINNING TO GET ON ROADS IN S. ILLINOIS

McCLURE, Ill. Residents traveling north or south of McClure on Route 3 are finding the going slow in some areas.

Travelers going from Cape Girardeau to Chester, Ill., should add another half-hour and about 20 miles to their trip.

The floodwaters of the Mississippi River, in addition to assorted thunderstorms, are playing havoc with road conditions throughout Southern Illinois, creating many impassable roads and bridges.

The Mississippi was at a historic 46.2 at Cape Girardeau Monday and is expected to crest at 47.7 Wednesday. The Ohio River is also starting to rise and was at 43.1 Monday at Cairo, about 3.1 feet above flood level. The Ohio is expected to crest at 45.5 Friday at Cairo.

Seep water in Alexander County during the past few days has been spilling over Route 3 at the northern edge of McClure, with the latest report of about two inches of water across the road.

"The road is still open," noted a spokesman from the Tri-County Flood Information Center for Alexander, Union, and Jackson counties. "But, motorists are urged to go slowly."

Drivers are also warned to go slow to the south, where the Route 3 roadway is being raised with gravel to permit travel from Route 146 to the Gale intersection on a one-way basis.

The Chester bridge closed over the weekend, due to water across the roadway in Perry County, Mo. The bridge was the only crossing point of the Mississippi River between Cape Girardeau and St. Louis.

With Route 3 already closed at Cora, Ill., south of Chester, the closest route to Chester from Cape Girardeau is (Route 151 off Route 3) through Ava, Willisville (Route 4) and Percy, Ill., then to Chester on Route 150.

"This adds another 20 to 25 miles to the route," said an Illinois State Police spokesman.

Meanwhile, officials are keeping a close eye on levee systems throughout Southern Illinois, including the Fayville Road levee, which is being raised to hold off the river from the nearby Olive Branch area.

Alexander County officials say they can use more volunteers in the efforts to keep ahead of the river. "This portion of the levee was lower than the rest," said Louis Maze of the Alexander County Commission. "We don't have it at the height we want, but we've managed to stay ahead of the river so far."

Any one wanting to volunteer may call the Alexander County Highway department at 1-618-776-5242.

Volunteers should be immunized against tetanus. The immunizations for workers and residents living in the area are available at Egyptian School.

A section of the Fayville levee, south of where the work is being conducted, broke last week, tearing through the earthen levee and flooding the Miller City area.

"We have established an emergency center at Egyptian High School," said Joe Ruiz, coordinator for Alexander County Civil Defense. "We don't have any displaced persons at this time, but we're feeding volunteers and workers and are serving as a distribution center for food and water."

A boil water order is in effect in the southern portion of Alexander County, from the Olive Branch Water District to Urbandale, located about three miles north of Cairo.

"The boil water order will be in effect until further notice," said Ruiz. "The Egyptian center will remain open 24 hours a day." Egyptian High School is located on the Olive Branch-Tamms blacktop road.

Meanwhile, close watches are being maintained on the earthen levees that protect much of Southern Illinois, from Gale to Grand Tower.

National Guard members are stationed at levee entrances along the route to keep traffic on the levees at a minimum. No sightseers are allowed.

"All of these levees appear in good shape," said Dean Surface of the Cape Girardeau office of the Corps of Engineers. "At this point the levees are looking okay."

Additional information on roads and/or flood conditions for Union, Alexander and Jackson counties is available by calling 1-800-600-6400.

Alexander County road closings include:

Thebes to Fayville gravel road.

Gale to McClure gravel road.

Willard blacktop.

Old Illinois 3 section between Gale and Thebes.

All county roads in Miller City area and blacktops around Horseshoe Lake are restricted to authorized personnel and local residents.

The level of Illinois 3 south of Illinois 146 to Gale intersection is being built up. Traffic is one-way and motorists are asked to travel slowly through the area.

About two inches of water is across the road just north of McClure city limits, but motorists can travel slowly through the area.

Bean Ridge gravel road near Thebes (no through traffic).

Union County road closings include:

Old Cape Road from Illinois 127 to Illinois 3.

Blacktop road west of Ware.

All levee roads.

LaRue Road #345 (Snake Road) at foot of Pine Hills Cliffs.

Other road closings are:

Chester Bridge into Perry County, Mo., closed because of water on roads in Perry County.

Route 3 south of Chester (Cora).

Lake Kinkaid Spillway road.

Sand Ridge road at Big Muddy.

Travel on some other roads may be restricted.