Coast Guard closes Mississippi River at St. Louis

High water and fast currents led the U.S. Coast Guard to close part of the Mississippi River near St. Louis to barge traffic late Monday morning.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the closure affects an area of the city’s waterfront from north of the Merchants railroad bridge to the MacArthur railroad bridge.

Near St. Louis, the river is expected to crest at 43.7 feet on Thursday – less than six feet shy of the 49.6-foot record set in 1993. At Cape Girardeau and at Chester, Ill., the Mississippi is expected to reach 1993 levels by the weekend.

As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had shut down five locks and dams along the river. A spokesman for the Coast Guard said the river would reopen “as conditions improve.”

Read more from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.