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Flooding closes 2 Mississippi River bridges

Volunteer Dan Knoll carries one of the most important things to safety from the Hawg Pit BBQ Barn on West Main Street in Grafton, Ill., Monday July 7, 2014 as floodwaters neared the back of the business. Several female mannequins had to be "rescued" along with all of the other items in the bar Monday. Several more feet of floodwater are currently predicited before a crest on Saturday. Grafton sits at the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. (AP Photo/The Telegraph, John Badman)
Volunteer Dan Knoll carries one of the most important things to safety from the Hawg Pit BBQ Barn on West Main Street in Grafton, Ill., Monday July 7, 2014 as floodwaters neared the back of the business. Several female mannequins had to be "rescued" along with all of the other items in the bar Monday. Several more feet of floodwater are currently predicited before a crest on Saturday. Grafton sits at the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. (AP Photo/The Telegraph, John Badman) Volunteer Dan Knoll carries one of the most important things to safety from the Hawg Pit BBQ Barn on West Main Street in Grafton, Ill., Monday July 7, 2014 as floodwaters neared the back of the business. Several female mannequins had to be "rescued" along with all of the other items in the bar Monday. Several more feet of floodwater are currently predicited before a crest on Saturday. Grafton sits at the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. (AP Photo/The Telegraph, John Badman)

By Associated Press 3 min read

ST. LOUIS (AP) – Two Mississippi River bridges closed due to flooding, and with more storms in the forecast, there was growing concern Monday that conditions could worsen in parts of Missouri and Illinois.

The Champ Clark Bridge at Louisiana, Missouri, closed at 5 p.m. Sunday, creating an inconvenience for those who travel between Missouri and Illinois on U.S. 54. The nearest bridge is in Hannibal, Missouri, 35 miles to the north. The river is expected to crest nearly 10 feet above flood stage in Louisiana on Tuesday, but it could be the weekend before water is off the road on the Illinois side of the crossing.

The Quincy Memorial Bridge in Quincy, Illinois, shut down Monday morning. The impact there wasn’t as severe because Quincy – with 41,000 residents, the largest Mississippi River town between Davenport, Iowa (population 100,000) and St. Louis – has two bridges. Illinois Department of Transportation spokeswoman Paris Ervin said all traffic is being routed to the Bayview Bridge, which sits higher than the Memorial and is not threatened.

Water levels on the Mississippi shot up in the past couple of weeks due to a series of strong storms in the Upper Midwest. Flooding has closed roads and swamped thousands of acres of farmland in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri.

The river was starting to drop in Iowa towns including Burlington and Keokuk, but still rising in Missouri and Illinois. Crests – in some cases 10 feet above flood stage – were expected this week.