Live updates: Ameren provides estimated restoration time for St. Clair County outages

While water recedes around the region since Tuesday’s heavy rains , the metro-east on Wednesday was still feeling the effects of flash flooding.

Estimated power restoration

At 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, 139 people in St. Clair County were still without electricity . Ameren Illinois spokesman Brian Bretsch said their power should be restored by 11:59 p.m.

Nearly all major roads open

Most major roads are open across southwestern Illinois as of Wednesday at 3 p.m., according to the Illinois Department of Transportation closure map.

Only two remain the list:

• IL-13 from Busch Blvd. to IL-163 and east of IL-157 in the former Centreville, IL
• Dubois Blacktop from U-51 to IL-127 (Washington County)

Drone video of flooded streets

Late Tuesday afternoon, Scott Tyler, the director of health, housing and building for the city of Belleville, captured drone video footage of the floodwater covering downtown streets and parks. Tyler said he went out after work at 5:20 p.m. to shoot the video.

All of the areas depicted in the video were near Richland Creek, including:

• West Main Street and North 6th Street by the Belleville Police Department and MotoMart
• West F Street and North 2nd Street by the St. Clair County Jail
• Hough Park, the dog park on North 6th Street, and the skateboard park on North 2nd Street

Belleville elementary school flooding

The area north of Franklin Elementary School and south of Belleville Skateboard Park flooded Tuesday, with water nearly reaching the top of the gazebo at Hough City Park and encroaching on the school’s property.

Superintendent Ryan Boike said part of the school’s basement flooded with 42 inches of water, but nothing was damaged because the district stores things in the basement off the ground. The school’s sump pump ran into the early evening to remove the excess water

A similar situation happened at the school during the flooding about two years ago, Boike said. The school sits a few hundred feet southeast of the Richland Creek, which has overflowed during intense rain for decades.

Metro-east power outages

Portions of the metro east are still without power following the storm that dropped up to 6 inches of rain across the region Tuesday

According to Ameren, at about 11 a.m. Wednesday, 223 homes are without electricity in Belleville, including 163 of them off IL 158, just south of IL 15. Others outages affect 43 residents around N. 66th Steet; eight east of Eiler Road; and about nine downtown. Fairmont City also has 105 customers without power and East St. Louis has another 13. Outages in Columbia, O’Fallon Lenzburg and Freeburg total about 16 addresses.

Interstate 255 ramps open

Here’s an updated list of major road closings, as of 11 a.m. I-255 is now off the Illinois Department of Transportation list:

• IL-15 at Sparta street in St. Libory (St. Clair County)
• IL-13 from Busch Blvd. to IL-163 and east of IL-157 in the former Centreville, IL
• IL-156 at Richland Creek closed due to flooding.
• Dubois Blacktop from US-51 to IL-127 (Washington County)

A new road closing list updated

Here’s the latest road closing list from the Illinois Department of Transportation, as of 8:30 a.m.

• IL-127 south of I-64 to I-64 northbound and southbound closed due to flooding.
• IL-15 at Sparta street in St. Libory (St. Clair County)
• The exit ramp I-255 SB to State street closed. Entry ramp from State street to I-255 SB closed due to flooding.
• IL-13 from Busch Blvd. to IL-163 and east of IL-157 in Centreville, IL
• IL-156 at Richland Creek closed due to flooding.

Flooding expected along Kaskaskia River

A flood warning is in effect until Saturday afternoon along the Kaskaskia River at New Athens .

Moderate flooding is expected, cresting at 84.9 feet by early Thursday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service site. Flood stage is 79 feet.

The river is expected to fall below flood stage late Saturday morning.

Road closures due to flooding

Sections of at least seven major roadways in the metro-east were closed Wednesday morning due to flooding , according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Here’s the list from the transportation agency as of 6:30 a.m These were listed on the agency’s emergency closure site:

• IL-127 south of I-64 to I-64 northbound and southbound closed due to flooding.

• IL-158/177 at Loop Creek.(St. Clair County)

• IL-15 at Sparta street in St. Libory(St. Clair County)

• The exit ramp I-255 SB to State street closed. Entry ramp from State street to I-255 SB closed due to flooding.

• IL-13 from Busch Blvd. to IL-163 and east of IL-157 in Centreville, IL

• I-64 eastbound to I-255 southbound closed due to flooding.

• IL-156 at Richland Creek closed due to flooding.

Heavy rains brought flash flooding around the region on Tuesday, with at least 5 inches reported in Belleville and at Scott Air Force Base, according to the National Weather Service.