Floods close large section of major Ark. cross-country highway

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HAZEN, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas highway officials say they will close a large section of a major cross-country interstate indefinitely because floodwaters will soon inundate the highway. The closure is imminent.

The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department says it must close the roadway near where it crosses the White River. Westbound traffic will be diverted at Brinkley and directed to Little Rock via Bald Knob. Eastbound traffic will exit at Hazen and be diverted to DeWitt before crossing the White River and back to the interstate at Brinkley and Forrest City.

The road links Little Rock and Memphis, Tenn. At mid-afternoon Wednesday, the outer westbound lane was already closed.

Heavy rains fell last week in the river’s basin, and with the Mississippi River running high there is no place for the water to run-off.