State, EBR brace for record water
by AMY WOLD - Advocate (excerpt)

An earlier-than-expected opening of the John J. Audubon Bridge and the openings of the Morganza and Bonnet Carré spillways are being considered due to high Mississippi River water, state and city-parish officials said Tuesday.

The John J. Audubon Bridge, which connects New Roads and St. Francisville, is tentatively set to open Thursday morning, said Jodi Conachen, spokeswoman for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.

When the river rises to the 53-foot mark at the Red River Landing, the St. Francisville Ferry will close, Gov. Bobby Jindal said during a news conference. The Mississippi River is expected to crest on May 21 at 47.5 feet in Baton Rouge. The high-water record was set in May 1927 at 47.28 feet.