Holiday travel increases I-70 hazards

New data released by MoDot shows between 20,000 and 40,000 vehicles travel I-70 each day. That’s just in the rural sections. Urban areas, including Columbia, St. Louis and Kansas City, boast nearly double those numbers.

Couple the heavy traffic with the holidays and the bridge replacement project construction in Columbia, and it becomes a serious safety issue.

MoDot says the winter months of January, February and March have the highest crash numbers due to weather-related incidents. Sunday afternoons appear to be the highest crash day of the week on I-70.

The pictures included in this article are from a crash near mile marker 126 at Providence Road around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. Both drivers in this wreck escaped serious injuries. Traffic was backed up near the scene, but no major damage was reported, although one person had minor leg pain, according to the Columbia Fire Department.

You can always check I-70 travel speeds and road conditions on MoDot’s traveler information map. Click here to visit the site.