MUSCATINE, Iowa – Washington Street has been closed by the Department of Public Works (DPW) due to flood water from Mad Creek flowing onto the street at the Fillmore Street intersection. Water has been on the roadway since early this morning but traffic was allowed to move through the intersection.
That changed early this afternoon as the water level rose high enough to create a safety concern those travelling on Washington Street. DPW officials had planned to construct a barrier to divert the flood waters away from the roadway but could not keep up with the increasing flow out of the storm water inlet near the Fillmore intersection.
DPW now plans to keep the street closed from Walters to Grant at least through Monday (May 6) when the Mississippi River level is expected to drop to 23.4 feet.
Washington Street is the main detour for traffic coming to the downtown area from the east side of Muscatine. However, drivers should now plan on using the alternate detour route of Clay Street until the closure is lifted (Clay Street-Isett Avenue-Cypress-8th Street-Cedar).
RIVER CREST REVISED
The National Weather Service revised the Mississippi River crest to 24.5 feet late Thursday or Friday. The river is expected to begin receding on Saturday and drop to 24 feet Sunday and to 22 feet Wednesday. However, the NWS warns that forecasted rain next week will likely lead to additional crests with the greatest uncertainty of future crests downstream of Davenport.