Sorlie Bridge to close at noon

Grand Forks and East Grand Forks closed the Sorlie Bridge on DeMers Avenue at noon Saturday as floodwaters continue to rise.

The National Weather Service projects the Red River in Grand Forks may reach a level of 51 feet by the middle of next week, which would make the approach to the bridge impassable.

Friday morning, the two cities closed the Point Bridge.

The Kennedy bridge serving Gateway Drive-U.S. Highway 2 traffic is the community's other bridge. The new Thompson River bridge south of Grand Forks also is open.

1/2: This image of the rising Red River was captured from video taken Thursday afternoon, April 7, 2011, from the Grand Forks side of the Red River downtown. The Sorlie Bridge is partially in view, right, and East Grand Forks Riverwalk business are largely obscured by that city's so-called "invisible flood wall."

2/2: Crews in Grand Forks close the city's side of the Sorlie Bridge on DeMers Avenue around noon Saturday, April 9, 2011. The action left one bridge - the Kennedy Bridge, serving Gateway Drive / U.S. Highway 2 - open to allow Red River crossings between Grand Forks and East Grand Forks. (Herald photo)