As flood waters recede, Shepard and Warner roads reopen in St. Paul

After a closure of nearly seven weeks due to flooding, a long stretch of Shepard and Warner roads along the Mississippi River in St. Paul is back open to traffic.

The popular route to and from downtown St. Paul reopened on Friday evening. It had closed March 24 because of rising waters on the adjacent Mississippi River.

As the river crested more than 6 feet above flood stage, floodwaters covered parts of the roadway. The Mississippi River at St. Paul spent a record 42 days above flood stage this spring; the previous record was 33 days, set in 2001.

The river is now back below flood stage.

"Crews have cleared debris from the roadway and inspected the road and its underlying structures to determine that it's safe to reopen to traffic," St. Paul Public Works reported Friday.

Portions of Sibley and Jackson streets between Warner Road and Kellogg Boulevard also have reopened.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the river in St. Paul, Water Street remains closed until further notice due to water that remains on the roadway.