By Katie Knapp Schubert
Omaha, NE – Preliminary assessments show significant damage to Interstate 29 in southwest Iowa due to Missouri River flooding.
Don Stevens, acting district engineer for the Iowa Department of Transportation's Atlantic office, says the preliminary assessments found debris on the roads. Stevens says flooding has also caused significant damage to the I-29 bridge at Hamburg. "The biggest one we've noted to date is the northbound bridge at the milepost one point four, it has a scour area behind the abutment of the bridge in the approach area that we're pretty concerned about." IDOT says pavement has collapsed there, and scouring is at least 11 feet deep.
Stevens says it's impossible to know at this point when the interstate will reopen. "There's a considerable amount of damage that's there, and we know some of it is there but we just don't know the extent of that damage and we're going to have to do some investigations to see what kind of damage that's under the roadway that we really can't see."
Stevens says flood water has also damaged Iowa Highway 2.
The Army Corps of Engineers continues to scale back releases from Gavins Point Dam in South Dakota, and water levels are dropping.