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Flooding closes roads, adds commute time for frustrated drivers

Highway 79 is closed in several places, and that means commuters have to go far out of their way to get to work.

WINFIELD, Mo. — Even those lucky enough to be safe from the floodwater in Lincoln County are still dealing with its ripple effects.

Highway 79 is closed in several places, which means commuters have to go far out of their way to get to work.

"Oh, it sucks big time,” Zach Goldkamp said. “I hate it."

Goldkamp hauls heating and cooling equipment for a living, driving from his home in Winfield to South St. Louis County and back. He said the road closures have added about an hour to his commute each way.

"Looking at about a two-hour drive home now,” he said.

John Turpin is spending a lot more time in the car, too. He travels to Earth City for his job as an aerial lift mechanic.

“It’s terrible,” Turpin said. "God, yeah, wear and tear on the car, everything."

Driving farther and longer is costing them more money. Goldkamp fills up his gas tank at the end of each day and he said with the detours, it cost about $10 more than normal.

But Goldkamp said he still feels lucky.

"Honestly I've been trying to keep in mind all the people who've been actually flooded,” he said. "A lot of people have it a lot worse off, so that's the only thing that's keeping me from losing my mind on the road."

He's hoping that perspective holds for as long as it takes the water to clear.

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