A section of Park Marina Drive under the Cypress Avenue Bridge is expected to be closed beginning Friday as increased releases from Keswick Dam cause the Sacramento River to swell.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced today (Thursday, February 9) that releases of water into the Sacramento River will reach 50,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) by Friday, 60,000 cfs on Saturday and 70,000 cfs on Sunday. The releases are necessary to ensure adequate flood storage in Shasta Lake which today stood at 20 feet below its crest.
Park Marina Drive will be closed at its intersection with Locust Street on the north and Parkview Avenue to the south. Motorists are directed to use Athens Avenue as an alternate route to cross Cypress Avenue. Releases of about 42,000 cfs generally encroach on that section of roadway. However, higher releases through the weekend could flood other areas of Park Marina Drive further north, causing closures, and motorists in that area should use caution.
The high flows also will cause flooding on a number of sections of the Sacramento River Trail and surrounding areas, including Lake Redding Park, west of Lake Redding Estates, the South Trail lower parking lot, and the Sundial Bridge lower plaza. Other areas that could see flooding are Turtle Bay East, Riverfront Park near Parkview Avenue, and the John Reginato River Access. Residents who live near the Sacramento River should also be cautious of rapidly rising river levels.