On Tuesday, the Coast Guard closed a portion of the Upper Mississippi River near St. Louis to all vessel traffic, halting commerce on a key stretch of the waterway.
Coast Guard Sector Upper Mississippi River closed traffic at 7:53 p.m. from mile marker 184.5 to mile marker 179, near the MacArthur Bridge, due to high water levels and fast currents.
“We are working closely with our interagency partners and industry stakeholders to mitigate the effects of a historic flooding event on par with the one we experienced in December 2015. Our collective priority is public safety,” said Capt. Martin Malloy, commander, Sector Upper Mississippi River.
The Coast Guard said their waterways action plan recommended closing this portion of the river during extreme high water levels of 38’ and that conditions would be re-evaluated to determine when travel restrictions could be lifted.
For more information on river conditions, contact the Coast Guard. Waterways Action Plans can be viewed on the Sector Upper Mississippi River website.
Mississippi River flooding (nowhere near '93 record high) in front of Arch in St. Louis. Beautifully redesigned Arch grounds will stay dry. pic.twitter.com/HECSmTRArl
— David Carson (@PDPJ) May 3, 2017
