Openings in the Vicksburg floodwall were closed and workers at LeTourneau Technologies were building a makeshift levee as the Mississippi River continued its ascension on Saturday.

The river rose past flood stage early Saturday morning making this the fourth official flood on the city’s gauge in as many years. The river stood at 43.73 feet Saturday night, up 0.83 feet in the last 24 hours. It’s predicted to crest at 53.5 feet by May 18, the highest since 1927.

Vicksburg Sewer Department workers used crossties sealed with roofing cement to close the openings across from the Art Park at Catfish Row. A steel plate with welded upright beams and crossties will seal off the area between the wall’s end and the Levee Street Depot.

South of town, crews constructed an earthen levee at LeTourneau Technologies to protect the oil rig fabrication yard. A shutdown of the riverside plant appears imminent, though company supervisors have vowed for days to keep operations running as long as possible. Last week, officials said access on LeTourneau Road will dictate whether there’s a total shutdown.

Vicksburg officials planned to team with AmeriCorps volunteers to take information from residents in Kings, Ford and Waltersville neighborhoods and south of town in low-lying areas. DiamondJacks Casino plans to lift its barge this morning. Whether Vicksburg casinos close due to the flood will be determined this week, according to the Mississippi Gaming Commission.

Levees in Louisiana were to be sandbagged starting Monday, when vehicular traffic is stopped in the Fifth Louisiana Levee District, comprised of East Carroll, Madison and Tensas parishes.

Gates were opened Saturday on the Muddy Bayou Control Structure to fill Eagle Lake to 90 feet from its ideal level of 76.9 feet. The move is geared to ease pressure on the Buck Chute levee while a berm to enclose sand boils is built below.

Mississippi 465 could close as early as today, depending on road conditions. The Mississippi Department of Transportation expects water on the roadway by Monday. The mainline levee system will close to the general public when the river reaches 55 feet in Greenville. The level late Saturday was 51.33 feet.

Whether U.S. 61 is closed during this spring’s second high water event is undetermined, officials said. If closed, access to Eagle Lake would be from the north exclusively, through Rolling Fork and Satartia, via Mississippi 3 and Russellville Road, which becomes Oak Ridge Road in northwest Warren County.

At Steele Bayou, land side water level was at 88.67 feet, and the river side was 91.69 feet. The gates will remain closed until the river side stage is lower than the level in the 4,093-square-mile Yazoo Backwater Area. A 103-foot crest is expected on the river side around May 18. The land side crest is expected to reach 93.5 feet by June 10.