Morganza Spillway its present course through the major port cities of Baton Rouge and New Orleans to a new course down the Atchafalaya River to the Gulf of Mexico. The Morganza Spillway, operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was opened during the 1973 and 2011 Mississippi River floods. The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was the most destructive river flood in the history of the United States, in large part due to the Mississippi River swelling to wide in spots. To prevent a repeat of the Great Flood of 1927, and better control river flooding in general, Congress passed the
Maryland Route 242 in 1923. The state highway was reconstructed with curve modifications and a bituminous-stabilized gravel surface in the 1950s, beginning with the Morganza–Clements section in 1949 and 1950. MD 242 was rebuilt from Clements to Bushwood by 1959. Maryland Route 242 Maryland Route 242 (MD 242) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Colton Point Road, the state highway runs from Coltons Point north to MD 5 in Morganza. MD 242 connects the communities of Morganza, Clements, Bushwood, Avenue, and Coltons Point in western St. Mary's County. The state highway also leads to St. Clement's Island