North Little Rock shuts flood gates, closes Riverwalk Park

LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — North Little Rock announced Friday morning that it had shut floodgates along the North Little Rock Levee and Floodwall system and closed North Shore Riverwalk Park.

The city said in a news release that no pedestrians or vehicles will be allowed to access the park. Parts of the park were under water Friday as the Arkansas River, swollen from weeks of heavy rainfall in the Midwest, continued to rise. The river was at 27.1 feet Friday morning, more than 4 feet above flood stage. The river is expected to crest Wednesday at 6 feet above flood stage.

Between 60 and 70 homes in North Little Rock are expected to be affected by flooding, the release says.

The North Little Rock Levee and Floodwall system is made of 2 miles of earthen levee and 1 mile of floodwall, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The height of the floodwall ranges from 7 to 23 feet.

More than 500 homes in Arkansas have been affected by historic flooding. Several bridges over the river have been temporarily closed and barge traffic has been stopped.

President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration for the state Thursday, hours before a levee was breached in Dardanelle.