JEFFERSON CITY, MO. -- The Missouri Department of Transportation is urging drivers to use added caution when temperatures drop below freezing and moisture is in the air.

Slowing down and driving with caution will help prepare you for when snow begins to fall.

"Wait until snow, sleet or freezing rain has ended if at all possible," said Dan Niec, MoDot District Engineer. "Let our crews do their work. If you must be out during a snowstorm, stay safely behind our snowplows; don't try to pass them"

MoDot's crews will first clear the interstates and high-volume state routes, then tackle minor routes. Plow operators will work around the clock until snow routes, highest traffic roads, are mostly clear and other roads are safe and passable. Snow removal routes are prioritized by the type of road, number of travelers and regional significance to get traffic moving as quickly as possible.

MoDot uses the following definitions to describe travel conditions:

Closed: The road is impassible due to winter conditions.

Covered: The road may have received some treatment and is passable with caution.

Partly covered: The road has received some treatment but still has snow or ice on significant portions of the road. The road is passable with caution.

Mostly clear/Near normal: The lanes of traffic are mostly clear with a small ribbon of snow on the road. The shoulders may not be clear.

Before each season MoDot trains its snow equipment operators to safely, quickly and efficiently clear the highways, use the latest technical innovations to improve their skills. Computerized material delivery systems used today are far better at getting the right amount of deicer on the roadway. Salt brine pretreatment, TowPlows on major highways and mixing beet juice with brine are just a few innovations MoDot uses.

MoDot Travel Information Maps are posted at modot.org.


Information provided by MoDot