Area Communities Keep Eye on River Levels, Grafton Mayor Says Village is Open for Business

GRAFTON - Grafton, Alton Hardin and others along the Mississippi and Illinois River have their eyes glued to water levels this week. So far, it is mostly business as usual in all the communities, despite some high water statistics.

As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, Grafton’s levels stand at 26.2 feet, with a flood stage of 18 feet. Alton is at 28.2 feet at 3 p.m. Tuesday with a flood stage of 21 feet and Hardin on the Illinois River is 31.6 feet with a flood stage of 25 feet. The only barricades are in Grafton and are essentially by the youth facility and the Hawg Pit. The Hawg Pit has not opened yet for the season. There are flood routes to get around the village, however, to go to the other businesses.

IDOT released a flooding update Tuesday afternoon and said a new road closure due to flooding within District 8 was at Illinois 96 from the junction of County Highway 2 to Crooked Creek Hollow Road near Mosier. IDOT said the Brussels Ferry continues to be closed because Calhoun County Highway 1 is flooded and Illinois 100 from Illinois 3 to Ski Lift Road in Grafton is also closed.

Grafton, Alton, and Hardin are now in what is called “moderate flooding” by the U.S. Geology Survey.

Grafton Mayor Rick Eberlin wants people to know Grafton is open for business.

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Regular automobiles are still navigating just fine through Grafton, he said. He emphasized that Grafton has flood routes for people to take to get through the village he added.

Mayor Eberlin said with the exception of the Hawg Pitt, the Oyster Bar and several others were tremendously busy this past weekend in Grafton.

Eberlin spent some time on a conference call this week with Corps of Engineers reps up and down the Mississippi along with mayors.

“They are watching a storm they think will be in the Great Lakes area as early as Wednesday,” he said. “If that turns into a major rain event, we still have a considerable amount of snow in places like Minnesota which could be a problem. We are feeling good about the crest this week and hope the rain is not as heavy as it could be. Our town is still open, we want people to know that.”

IDOT urged motorists to obey traffic control devices and directional signage, including dynamic message boards, deployed to guide motorists around closures.

"All motorists are urged to be patient, reduce speed and exercise caution throughout the Metro East Region - as traffic patterns and travel times will likely be affected," IDOT said.

For more visit, http://www.idot.illinois.gov/home/Comm/emergency-road-closures for the latest info.

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