Community Corner
Yarnell Added to Closed Fenton Roads
River crests are expected Saturday morning and then will drop fast, according to the National Weather Service.
Yarnell Road has now been added to Fenton's list of closed roads due to the flooding Meramec River and Highway 141 at Interstate 44 could be closed as early as 4 p.m.
Yarnell is now closed at Fabricator Drive although the Meramec is expected to rise another eight to 12 inches between now and the expected crest tomorrow morning, City Administrator Mark Sartors said.
In Olde Towne, Center Street is also closed at Ware Street but Sartors said "it's not expected to be an issue.”
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Sartors said the only inconvenience the flooding has caused is progress on the Gravois Road and South Old Highway 141 bridge projects. Both have come to a halt until the river recedes, he said.
“It's supposed to drop like a rock” Sartors said. “The river is supposed to crest tomorrow morning and by the afternoon is supposed to be about four feet lower than it is now. So far we're in pretty good shape. I think Fabricator Drive is the last closing we'll have.”
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The Meramec River at the Valley Park gauge stands at 22.6 feet at 12:30 p.m. Friday and is still rising, the National Weather Service (NWS) in St. Louis says. The river is expected to crest at 27.5 feet about 6 a.m. Saturday and then drop rapidly. Flood stage at the Valley Park gauge is 16 feet; Fenton has no river gauge.
All flood crest predictions take into account precipitation expected within the next 24 hours; the NWS says there is some additional precipitation expected in the time frame but it “does not look to be overly heavy,” perhaps as much as a half-inch which is not expected to effect the predicted crest, the NWS says.
Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) Area Engineer Tom Blair said as of 12:30 p.m. the two right lanes of southbound Missouri Route 141 are closed at Interstate 44, in Valley Park, and that access to I-44 is still possible from all directions.
By the traditional evening rush hour, about 4 to 5 p.m., MoDOT expects to close all southbound lanes on 141, and possibly some northbound lanes closed as well, Blair said.
He added, however, that even if they have to close all of 141 under the I-44 overpass, they believe they will not have to close the entrance and exit ramps to I-44.
“Basically all right turn movements at this typical diamond interchange will beavailable to motorists throughout this flood,” Blair said. “This is nothing like the 2008 Easter flood that got so much coverage and is cast in so many people's memory where we were talking 10 to 12 feet of water over 141. This is one to three feet of water, so we think we're going to be able to keep the ramps open for right turn movements, which will be very important for people trying to access the area off of I-44. You just won't be able to make any left turn movements onto or off of the interchange.”
With the current NWS forecast Blair said MoDOT expects the water to begin receding as early as Saturday afternoon.
MoDOT recommends that drivers seeking alternative east-west routes to Hwy. 141 can use Olive Boulevard, Manchester Road, Gravois Road and Tesson Ferry Road. Motorists needing a north-south alternative can use Interstate 270 or Lindbergh Boulevard.
Additional information on flood closures on state routes is available at:
