Alternate route from NWA to Omaha due to I-29 flooding

HawgBeat's coverage of the Razorbacks' Road to Redemption in Omaha is brought to you by Arkansas Oral Surgery, which has offices located in Conway and Russellville.

FAYETTEVILLE — Fans driving to watch Arkansas at the College World Series over the next two weeks will need to plan for a longer trip than in years past.

Flooding along the Missouri River has forced Interstate 29, the main thoroughfare between Kansas City and Omaha, to close just north of St. Joseph, Mo., at mile marker 57.

That directly effects fans traveling to the event from northwest Arkansas, as that is the final stretch of the drive.

Below is an alternate route that, according to MapQuest, adds only 30 minutes to the total drive time. However, traffic is increased because of the road closures, so it could be more than that.

~Traveling north on I-29, take exit 43 for I-229 north toward Downtown St. Joseph

~In five miles, take exit 4B for Highway 36 west

~That will cross back into Kansas and in about 50 miles, go north on Highway 75 in Fairview, Kan.

~Highway 75 goes due north into Omaha

It’s worth noting that this route goes through several small towns, so slower and varying speed limits and stoplights can also hinder the flow of traffic.

The Razorbacks’ first game at the College World Series is 6 p.m. CT Saturday against Florida State and, depending on that outcome, they’ll play again at either 1 or 6 p.m. CT Monday.