With flood receding, bridges, locks reopening

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Transportation is beginning to ease both over the Mississippi River and on it now that floodwaters are receding at a rapid pace.

Two bridges — one at Quincy, Ill., the other at Louisiana, Mo. — were scheduled to reopen to traffic today now that floodwaters no longer lap over the bridge approaches. A highway reopened near Hannibal, and on the waterway itself, the Army Corps of Engineers was preparing to reopen three navigation locks that have been closed for several days.

At many places throughout St. Louis, the river was dropping at a pace of about a foot a day. Some residents were starting to return home to assess damage in the neighboring towns of Winfield and Foley, two of Missouri's most devastated communities.

Rebecca Bauer was in no hurry to see what the floodwaters did to her home. It was among about 100 flooded on Saturday, a day after the Pin Oak levee broke at Winfield. The National Guard built a makeshift barrier around the homes, but it, too, was breached.

Bauer had no idea how much water got inside, how much damage there was, how much would be salvageable.

"I figure whatever's there, we'll take care of it," Bauer said.

The bridge reopening was especially good news in Louisiana. Its closure on June 15 forced people to drive 60 miles out of their way to get to the other side of the river. Quincy has two bridges, and one remained open during the flood.

A bridge crossing the Mississippi at Burlington, Iowa, remained closed. A U.S. 61 bridge crossing the Des Moines River at Alexandria, Mo., was also still closed at the Missouri-Iowa border.

Missouri 79 reopened south of Hannibal but was still closed in parts of Pike and Lincoln counties.

The flood forced closure of locks at the Missouri towns of Clarksville and Winfield, and the Kaskaskia Lock near Chester, Ill. The corps plans to reopen the Clarksville and Winfield locks by Friday, and the Kaskaskia lock by Monday. Those plans are based on current forecasts and could change if unexpected rain should cause a rise in the river.

The river was cresting Wednesday in Cape Girardeau at 10.5 feet above flood stage. A section of Missouri 177 was closed. The crest at Chester is expected early Thursday, 12.5 feet above flood stage. No major damage is expected in either town.