MDOT closely monitoring 465 at Eagle Lake; closure likely this weekend

The Mississippi Department of Transportation is monitoring road and water conditions on State Highway 465 at Eagle Lake, and Bob Broadwater with MDOT anticipates closing the roadway at some point this weekend.

Water levels did not appear to have risen much overnight, Broadwater said, but he added that barriers, barricades and signage are already staged in the area.

MDOT officials will survey the area this afternoon to determine if the roadway is safe for continued use.

The road was closed almost a year to the day in 2019 due to flooding and wasn’t completely reopened for months.

When the road is closed, residents have the option of using the Yazoo Backwater Levee from Highway 61 back to Highway 465 or traveling to Onward and using the Mainline Levee. Large trucks and commercial vehicles must use the route through Onward.

Officials are hopeful that water levels will not reach the point that necessitates closing 465 from the Old Gin south to the Backwater Levee; however, if this occurs, they will open the Brunswick Extension Levee to light vehicle traffic.

Motorists are reminded that when traffic is redirected to the levees, cattle and wildlife may also cross the roadway. Speed limits will be enforced.