Prior to the construction of the floodwall and earthen levee along the Mississippi riverfront in Cape Girardeau, flooding was a common annual occurrence. The most destructive floods occurred in 1927, 1943, 1944, 1947, and 1951. In 1922, the river crested at 38 feet, six feet above flood stage. Flooding threatened local riverfront businesses, forcing many merchants to close, often for extended periods of time, when sandbagging efforts failed to keep rising waters out of their stores. Floodwaters also covered the railroad tracks along the riverfront, occasionally halting transportation through the region. Construction of a floodwall and earthen levees extending 7,210 feet along the Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau began in 1956 and was completed in 1964 at a cost of $4 million. The 4,000-foot floodwall is designed to hold back the river at a 54-foot flood stage.