ST. LOUIS (AP) – Officials are preparing for the possible shutdown of a major interstate highway south of St. Louis amid historic flooding that has already left at least 20 people dead.
The Missouri Department of Transportation said Wednesday night that Interstate 55 near the town of Arnold could be overtaken by the Meramec River overnight or Thursday. By Wednesday evening, authorities were rerouting traffic to allow for sandbagging and pumping but said it was just temporary and they aimed to keep the highway open.
Other connections between St. Louis and adjacent Jefferson counties already are closed, including I-44 over the Meramec. The closures forced traffic onto other nearby roads, creating gridlock in the region.
The flooding also prompted evacuations in Missouri and Illinois on Wednesday. As swollen rivers and streams pushed to heights not seen in nearly a quarter-century, officials helped residents get to higher ground amid fears that already dire conditions could worsen as floodwaters began spilling over federal levees protecting communities and farmland.
In Eureka, southwest of St. Louis, firefighters and their boats have been in high demand since Tuesday, accounting for roughly four dozen rescues of people in their homes, businesses or vehicles. Television news footage showed at least one home there drifting in the swollen river Wednesday, when firefighters rescued by boat a man and a dog as floodwaters lapped at the eaves of the house roof on which they’d been trapped for a night.