Workers shore up I-29 in northwest Missouri/MoDOT photo

Motorists traveling north on Interstate 29 are being re-routed to continue into Iowa.

State transportation officials in both Missouri and Iowa closed a portion of I-29 after floodwaters crept over the south-bound lanes of the interstate on Wednesday and now have crossed over all four lanes just across the state line in Iowa. I-29 is closed to all traffic between Rock Port, Missouri and Hamburg, Iowa.

The Missouri Department of Transportation is re-routing north-bound traffic at the Highway 136 exit at Rock Port. Motorists can travel east to Highway 71, and then take it north of re-connect to I-29 north of the flooded portion. Traveling west has been a bit trickier. Construction is underway at the Brownsville bridge over the Missouri River, reducing the bridge to one-lane. That caused quite a traffic back-up yesterday. MoDOT is working with the contractor to allow both lanes of the bridge to open in and out of Nebraska.

Transportation officials are hesitant to give an opinion on when the situation might change. The US Army Corps of Engineers continues large releases of water from dams upstream on the Missouri River. Floodwaters have already topped two levees and are putting a strain on others.

Motorists can find the location of highways closed by water on MoDOT’s Traveler Information Map, available at www.modot.org. Detours for closures on interstates and U.S. routes can be found at www.modot.org/flooding, along with other flood facts.

AUDIO: Brent Martin interviews MoDOT’s Elaine Justus