Although the crest forecast was holding steady early today, flood-related actions and precautions were beginning.

For example, tows on the Mississippi may pass under the river bridges only during daylight hours, said Lt. Teresa Hatfield, U.S. Coast Guard supervisor of the marine safety detachment in Vicksburg. This year’s restriction comes at a lower stage than during the 2008 floods, which imposed the limit when the river reached 45.5 feet, which is this year’s expected crest.

Also, vessels with more than 6,000 horsepower must have at least 280 horsepower per barge and no more than 36 barges. Towboats of less than 6,000 horsepower are limited to 20 barges per tow.

Traffic on the river remained smooth through Wednesday, Ergon Marine fleet manager Albert Smith said this morning.

“Currents are not as fast as last year at this point,” Smith said. “Everybody’s been transiting with no problem.”

At higher stages, swirling currents can out-muscle downstream tows, making steering difficult if not impossible.

Five barge tows struck support piers on the U.S. 80 bridge in a 40-day span during last year’s flood. Vicksburg Bridge Commission officials sought to keep a measure of expertise available in case any barges strike this year, as they approved retaining Baton Rouge-based G.E.C. Inc. for emergency structural analysis.

“I’m scared every day another barge is going to strike,” said Herman Smith, superintendent of the bridge completed in 1930.

While the National Weather Service still believes the unusually late-season rise will crest at 45.5 feet a week from today, rainfall in the lower Midwest could keep high water around longer.

A long band of showers stretching from east Texas to the Northeast was forecast to dump up to a half-inch of rain on parts of the Lower Mississippi River system today.

Rainfall “will keep levels higher for a longer period of time,” said Jeff Graschel, service coordination hydrologist with the Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center in Slidell, La.

River stages at Vicksburg rose 0.7 of a foot to 43.7 feet this morning. It is forecast to crest at 46 feet by May 23, three days later than earlier projections, Graschel said.

Roads closed due to flooding include Chickasaw Road, Long Lake Road, Jackson Lane, Thompson Lake Road, Laney Camp Road and Ziegler Road. The city’s lowest-lying homes on Williams Street could begin to take on water by the weekend if forecasts hold true.

Mississippi 465, which connects U.S. 61 North with the Eagle Lake community, remains open.

River stages at Vicksburg last topped 43 feet, flood stage, on March 29, 2008, the beginning of a steady rise to 50.9 feet by April 21 — the highest crest at the city since 1973. Stages remained above flood stage until May 10.

The Vicksburg Bridge Commission’s primary contract for structural matters is with HNTB; the five-member panel has also retained Rudy McLellan, who had been senior technical adviser for structures with HNTB inside the company’s regional office in Baton Rouge. Job cuts at the company included McLellan, who had a major role in crafting the 78-year old railroad bridge’s stability report in recent years.

Now in a similar position with G.E.C., the engineering firm of record for the Lake Ponchartrain Causeway between suburban New Orleans and communities north of the lake, McLellan assured the commission his new employer could respond to structural emergencies such as a barge hit during high water. The current agreement with HNTB stipulates a fully-written structural analysis within seven days of requested assistance following an emergency.

“This is a backup group for us,” chairman Robert Moss said.

South of the city, a $186,153.90 emergency construction repair was OK’d Wednesday for LeTourneau Road. An 0.8-mile section of the eastbound lane is still gravel after high water inundated the road, which is the primary access to LeTourneau Technologies oil rig construction yard. Central Asphalt was awarded the job after submitting the lower of two quotes, which is all that is needed by a local government during an emergency declaration.

Warren County supervisors have applied for an emergency community development block grant to finance the work.

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Contact Danny Barrett Jr. at dbarrett@vicksburgpost.com