Bridges, locks reopening as Midwest floods recede

Transportation corridors opened over and along the Mississippi River on Wednesday as floodwaters continued to recede at a rapid pace.

Two bridges _ one at Quincy, Ill., the other at Louisiana, Mo. _ reopened Wednesday because floodwaters no longer covered the bridge approaches. A highway reopened near Hannibal, Mo.

On the waterway itself, the Army Corps of Engineers was preparing to reopen three navigation locks that have been closed for several days.

At many places from Iowa south through St. Louis, the river was dropping at a pace of about a foot a day. Some residents returned home to assess damage in the neighboring towns of Winfield and Foley, …