June 4, 2013, 8:15 A.M. – Here is the morning flood information update from The City of Alton for Tuesday, June 4th.
The National Weather Service is predicting a crest at Alton today (Tuesday, June 4th), at approximately 34.4 feet; this crest is higher than the approximately 30.6 foot crest in April, but lower than originally forecasted.
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South bound U.S. 67 is closed at the Clark Bridge going into Missouri; please use the Chain of Rocks Bridge as a detour. North bound U.S. 67 going into Illinois is open. State Route 100 (The River Road) is closed between U.S. 67 in Alton to Clifton Terrace in Godfrey. U.S. 67 (Landmarks Blvd) is down to one north bound lane at the River Road; both south bound lanes are open. Expect delays in this area; please consider alternate routes. The right lane of west bound State Route 143 is closed from Lock and Dam Way to the Broadway Connector. State Street at Broadway is also closed.
Riverfront Park is closed. The Feed the Need Concert, sponsored by Senior Services Plus and originally scheduled for June 8th at the Alton Amphitheater, has been moved to Alton Square Mall. An attempt will be made to reschedule the June 14th Changes in Latitude-A Tribute to Jimmy Buffet Concert.
The Argosy Casino is closed and anticipates being closed until Friday, June 7th. The Con Agra Mill has implemented their flood plan. No other businesses in Alton are closed as of the printing of this release.
As with the flood in April, the City of Alton has used an automated sandbagging machine from Madison County. The machine was used on Friday and filled approximately 1,000 sandbags. An additional 1,000 sandbags were filled on Sunday. The City has approximately 4,000 sandbags.
The City of Alton has also erected a 320 foot Jersey barrier flood wall.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is pumping air into about 60 relief wells to increase the flow of water through the wells into the ponding area and relieve pressure from the levee. By doing this, the Corps can keep uncontrolled seepage in check and effectively lower the pressure on the levee by the equivalent of about four feet. They also have geotechnical engineers on site around the clock to ensure the levee is performing as designed and are watching for any emerging issues throughout this flood event.
City of Alton personnel are monitoring the Mississippi River levels and will make adjustments to flood fighting strategies accordingly.
Drivers are again advised not to drive through water covering roads because the condition of the road underneath the water is unknown.
No volunteer opportunities exist at this time.
The City of Alton will provide updates to the media daily during this flood situation. Additional media advisories will be distributed if the situation warrants.
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