ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Traffic is being rerouted after the Missouri Department of Transportation closed I-29 north of mile marker 57 due to flooding.
Kansas City through traffic should use I-35, according to MoDOT. St. Joseph through traffic should use U.S. Route 71. Local traffic in St. Joseph is able to use I-29 by either going north on U.S. Route 71 and west on U.S. Route 59 or northbound I-229 to northbound I-29.
Other affected roadways include U.S. Route 59 from Rushville to Atchison, KS river crossing; U.S. Route 159 from Big Lake to Rulo, NE river crossing; and U.S. Route 136 from Rock Port to Brownville, NE river crossing.
The closure comes after nearly two weeks of tornado-inducing storms have rolled through the Midwest, dropping record amounts of rainfall across the plains and saturating the Missouri River.
The National Weather Service is forecasting river levels at St. Joseph to crest at nearly 28 feet on Thursday, May 30. It currently sits at 26.8 feet, which is just under the 27-foot major flood stage.
MoDOT is reminding people not to drive through flood waters. They ask anyone who comes across a covered road to pull over to a safe location and call 888 ASK MODOT (1-888-275-6636) to report the flooded road.
