CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (AP) The first phase of restoration work has been completed on a Mississippi River levee that was intentionally breached in 2011 during record flooding.

Glen Bullington, a civil engineer technician with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, told The Southeast Missourian (http://bit.ly/12HdMYB ) Friday that the first phase of work on Birds Point levee included restoring the levee to 55 feet of protection.

The second phase will restore the levee to its full height, which is 62.5 feet of protection. Recent rains have pushed back the completion of the second phase by a few days. The original timeline called for the levee to be restored by the end of 2012.

The levee was intentionally breached to prevent flooding in an Illinois community.

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