By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

Traffic is back to normal, at least somewhat, on U.S. Route 59 in southern Buchanan County.

The Missouri Department of Transportation has now opened both lanes of traffic on Highway 59 from Rushville to Atchison, Kansas, including the Amelia Earhart Bridge.

MoDOT created a temporary berm along Highway 59 Friday so it could re-open one lane to traffic with temporary traffic lights controlling traffic flow on the highway closed earlier by floodwaters from the Missouri River.

Little headway is being made to re-open the major thoroughfare in northwest Missouri, mainly due to problems left in the wake of flooding in southwest Iowa. MoDOT estimates Interstate 29 will not re-open until at least late May and more likely in June. MoDOT officials say flooding in Iowa damage portions of I-29, making its re-opening more difficult. Flooding must recede and damage repaired before the interstate re-opens to traffic.

MoDOT is allowing local traffic to travel I-29 in northern Missouri.

I-29 remains closed to through traffic at Highway 71 north of St. Joseph. MoDOT is advising traffic wishing to travel north on I-29 to drive east to Interstate 35 and take it to I-80, back across to I-29.