Roads, bridges and parks across Jefferson County were closed because of flooding following several rainy days last week.
Hwy. K in Kimmswick was closed on May 4, but people could still access the small town on the Mississippi River by taking Montebello Road.
The bridge on Commercial Boulevard (Hwy. 61-67) over the Joachim Creek in Herculaneum was closed May 3, forcing motorists to take I-55 instead of the highway.
Arnold City Park, which is on Bradley Beach Road near the Meramec River, was closed May 2, so city officials had to relocate the Arnold Farmers Market for its opening day of the season.
The market, which typically is located at the front of the park, instead was held near the outdoor pool at the Arnold Recreation Center, 1695 Missouri State Road, and likely will be held there for the next couple of weeks, Arnold City Administrator Bryan Richison said.
Arnold
The Meramec River crested at 38.25 feet this morning (May 6) after initially being projected to crest near 40 feet, according to the National Weather Service’s website.
The water is projected to recede by Thursday (May 9) below 35 feet, which is when minor flooding occurs, but with rain predicted throughout the week, Richison said it is doubtful the river will drop that quickly.
“We expect the floodwater to linger,” he said. “It may not be at the current flood stage, but we expect it to be around for a little while. It will all depend on the rain. It is just watch and wait, and we will be ready to get in there to start the cleanup as soon as we can.”
The city’s cleanup efforts will be at Arnold City Park and at the Arnold Golf Club, 1 Golfview Drive.
There is no timetable for when Arnold City Park will reopen.
“It takes us about a week to get it ready,” Richison said. “Depending on how quickly the water goes down, it will determine if we can open the park next week.”
The golf course had 12 holes flooded out over the weekend, Pro Shop manager Pat Aubuchon said. He said Holes 1, 2, 4, 9 and 10 were playable, and Hole 18 was still open but had to be abbreviated to a par-3.
“We hope to have more holes open by the end of this week, and we could have all of the holes open by late next week,” Aubuchon said today.
The Arnold Farmers Market, which is held from 8 a.m. to noon every Saturday through Oct. 19, will be held at the rec center again this weekend and probably on May 18, too, Richison said.
He said the rain in this week’s forecast is not anticipated to raise the Meramec River higher than Monday’s crest, but it could keep the water over affected areas longer than anticipated.
“We are certainly not the experts on predicting that kind of stuff, but we expect the rain to delay the receding of the water,” Richison said. “I don’t know if it will hold steady or just slowly go down, but it is hard to believe it will go down as fast as the chart is showing given the expected rainfall this week.”
Richison said he is happy the crest on Monday was lower than expected because homes typically are not affected by flooding until the Meramec rises above 40 feet.
“It was pretty close to creeping towards houses,” Richison said. “It was helpful for people’s peace of mind when it lowered.”
Kimmswick is open for business
Hwy. K going into Kimmswick is expected to be closed at least until the end of this week, but that doesn’t mean the town has shut down, Mayor Phil Stang said.
“Kimmswick is open for business,” Stang said today. “The restaurants and shops will be open.”
The Mississippi River was predicted to crest at 41.5 feet early Tuesday morning (May 7). Anything over 40 feet is considered to cause major flooding.
The river was anticipated to recede below that level by Wednesday (May 8), but with rain anticipated this week, Stang said the city will continue to monitor the situation.
Kimmswick added clay, rock and sand to its levee on May 3, he said.
“The levee is built to a level that it would, at least in theory, protect us from 46 feet,” Stang said. “Hopefully, that is not anything we need to worry about.”
Stang said he doesn’t know when Hwy. K will reopen because of the predicted rain throughout the area.
“It will depend on where the rain lands,” Stand said. “If it lands directly on us and slightly south, it doesn’t have much of an effect on the river level and it will recede. If the rain is to the north or over the Meramec, it could leave the level of water where it is.”
Stang also said the anticipated rain is not expected to cause the Mississippi to rise higher than Tuesday’s predicted crest.
“You have to respect the Mississippi River,” Stang said. “It is powerful, and you just don’t know. Do I believe we are OK? Yes.”
Other closures
Two bridges in Herculaneum were closed. In addition to the Commercial Boulevard (Hwy. 61-67) bridge, a bridge on Joachim Avenue, which also spans Joachim Creek, was closed, said Warren Robinson, director of Jefferson County Emergency Management.
Herculaneum Police Chief Mark Tulgetske said it is not yet known when the bridges will reopen to traffic.
A number of other Jefferson County roads, bridges and parks remained closed today due to flooding, including Missouri State Road at Dutch Bottom Road in Arnold; Hwy. 61-67 at Sulphur Springs Road in Imperial; Old Antonia Road at the West Outer Road in Imperial; River Street in Imperial; Willing Street at East Street in Barnhart; Hwy. M from I-55 to Hwy. 61-67 in Barnhart; Hwy. 61-67 at Hwy. M in Barnhart; Corisande Hill at Hwy. 141 in unincorporated Fenton; Schneider Drive in unincorporated Fenton; George Winter Park in Fenton; Herky Horine Road at Commercial Boulevard in Pevely; Bushberg Road at Koch Valley Road in Pevely; Horine Road at McNutt School Road in Herculaneum; Boyce Lane in the Festus area; and Valley Place at North Second Street in De Soto.
“Probably, the worst flooding (causing road closures) has been Hwy. 61-67 corridor from Imperial down to Herculaneum,” Robinson said. “We probably won’t have more road closures (due to floodwater), but rain could slow the water receding.”