Road Crews Prepared for Today's Snow

Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) crews already were preparing Thursday for a two- to four-inch snowfall on Christmas Eve as predicted by the National Weather Service. Some pockets might receive even more snow.

Forecasts call for snowfall to last through this evening.

With increased numbers on the roads during the holidays, MoDOT officials strongly urged motorists to travel Thursday or early Friday morning, rather than waiting.

For updated travel information, motorists can log on to www.modot.org to view an online Traveler Information Map, or call 1-888-ASK-MODOT (888-275-6636) for the agency's customer service center for road conditions. The hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Plowing Priorities

MoDOT officials said they will target the most heavily-traveled roads first, starting with interstates such as I-70 and I-270. Next they will move to regionally significant routes and numbered highways, and then lettered highways, which have the least amount of traffic.

Local municipalities and counties are responsible for clearing non-state roads and side streets.

Approximately 450 MoDOT workers will be on alert and 220 trucks will be available to plow roads.

Owen Hasson, MoDOTS's St. Louis area maintenance supervisor said the holiday weekend would not affect snow removal from state roads.

"There's some disappointed staff out there, but there's no change to our schedule. We'll have every truck with a plow on front out there clearing roads," Hasson said.  "If it snows one inch or four inches, we'll be out there most of the weekend."

Crews monitor roads for snowdrifts and re-freezing when they're not clearing roads, he said. They also said they pre-treated interstates and bridges with a liquid brine solution.

Hasson said the snow shouldn't present the same problems that travelers faced last Wednesday during an ice storm.

"Every road is a problem when it comes to ice," he said.

"We can't pre-treat for ice," Hasson said. "When it rains, the rain washes away all our hard work. So we can't pre-treat a road until we know for sure what what's coming – snow or ice."

Drivers also can get up-to-the-minute traffic information on interstates or major state routes by dialing 5-1-1 from most cell phones; if 5-1-1 isn't available from a particular telephone, callers can dial (877) 478-5511 instead.