ONAWA, Iowa (AP) – A key bridge over the Missouri River linking northwest Iowa with northeast Nebraska will remain closed longer than expected because of damage to the eastern base of the bridge. The Iowa Transportation Department says about 250 feet of the eastern embankment near the Highway 175 bridge has become unstable because of the force of the river and the bridge abutment has been exposed.

Officials said Friday the original flood mitigation plan had to be scrapped, so the bridge between Onawa, Iowa, and Decatur, Neb., will remain closed for a longer period. For people who live on one side of the bridge but work on the other, the bridge closure has significantly lengthened their commute.

What had been a ten-minute trip might take an hour or more now.