Winter weather creates major problems on roads

Icy conditions made for dangerous roads in Mid-Missouri Saturday morning and Friday evening as freezing rain, sleet and snow moved into Mid-Missouri.

Columbia Public Works plows were working on priority streets this morning and were starting to move into neighborhoods by late morning.

Officials closed Stadium Boulevard in Columbia from Rollins Rd. to College Park Dr. for about three hours early Saturday morning because of numerous accidents caused by slick conditions. Later in the morning, the Missouri Department of Transportation strongly discouraged travel on I-70 and in northern Missouri.

The agency reported most roads in central and northern Missouri were covered with snow, slush or ice. A semi-truck accident in Montgomery County shut down eastbound I-70 near mile marker 171.

Friday evening, an official from Columbia-Boone County public safety joint communications says there have been 33 accidents in a 75 minute-period. The official adds there are countless other accidents crews cannot get to because they are considered minor. The department was also forced to bring in seven extra 911 call takers Friday night to handle the higher volume.

A Columbia motorist says it takes usually takes him 10 minutes to get from the Business Loop to Southampton Drive via Providence. But Friday afternoon, he said his drive home on Providence Road took an hour and fifteen minutes because of the bad weather.

At 6:50 p.m Friday, Fulton police also urged motorists in Callaway County to stay off the roads, as the storm headed east.

Around 6 p.m., a Cooper County official said I-70 westbound was down to one lane. The official added there was a six car pileup around the 103 mile marker.

The City of Boonville has numerous accidents inside the city in addition to cars trying to get around the backed-up interstate.