Heavy rain expected throughout the rest of the week is leading officials in Iowa, Nebraska, and other communities alongside the Missouri River to shut down portions of roads and interstates to avoid impacts to drivers from rising water levels.
On Tuesday, the Iowa Department of Transportation (IowaDOT) told Omaha’s 6 News that it would be shutting down portions of Interstates 680 and 29 effective at midnight Wednesday.
The affected stretch of I-29 is from the 25th Street interchange on the north edge of Council Bluffs to the I-29/I-880 interchange.
The I-680 stretch is from the Nebraska border to the I-29/I-680 interchange near Crescent.
A detour was set to be posted near Loveland to take traffic from the I-29/I-880 interchange east to the I-80/I-880 interchange, then southwest on I-80 into Council Bluffs.
Depending on the severity of flooding, IowaDOT anticipates the interstates to reopen sometime this weekend.
In Nebraska, John Winkler, general manager of the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District, told the Nebraska Examiner that the episode should be “short-lived” in the state, with normal levels anticipated to return next week.
He said households around Elbow Bend in Bellevue have been notified to evacuate, and lakeside communities close to the Platte River have been cautioned to stay alert.
The city of Bellevue on Monday closed American Heroes Park, the Haworth Park Campground and public boat docks. A city spokesman said all mobile trailers have been cleared from the grounds.
He said Bellevue hasn’t had a flood event bad enough to clear out the campground since 2019.
Gov. Jim Pillen, saying he is acting proactively, declared a state of emergency Monday for Nebraska counties that abut the Missouri River to free up state funds should the need arise by anticipated flooding.
Both Pillen and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a request for people to remain off the Missouri River in coming days as water levels continue to surpass flood stage.
“The worst is yet to come,” said Winkler to the Nebraska Examiner. Winkler also said the Missouri River is expected to peak Tuesday or Wednesday at 35.1 feet before dropping and returning to normal three or four days later.
Source: The Nebraska Examiner, 6NewsWOWT.com
