Highway Patrol prepares for holiday weekend
Law enforcement expects a busy 2018 Labor Day weekend on the roads and waterways, and it plans to amp up patrolling for the holiday.
The Missouri Department of Transportation plans to reduce its workforce this weekend, and Highway Patrol is beefing up its patrolling as well.
MoDOT said the majority of its state route construction work will stop Friday at noon and will resume Tuesday at 9 a.m.
However, there are several areas where work zones do have permanent lane closures.
Some construction zones to watch out for with permanent closures are:
I-64, to St. Louis City, Poplar Street Bridge into Illinois one land closure. I-44, St. Louis City, Two lanes closed from Arsenal to Shrewbury; one lane closed between Jefferson and Grand; two lanes between Grand and Kingshighway; one lane closed westbound between Kingshighway and Arsenal; and one lane close eastbound from Shrewbury to Jefferson. I-470 at the I-70 interchange in Independence major bridge work. One lane traffic in both directions. Diamond Interchange construction at I-435 and Route 210 in Kansas City. I-49 bridge construction over the railroad tracks just north of Carthage. Southbound bridge is closed and there is one land in each direction.
Missouri Highway Patrol Colonel Sandra Karsten said in a press release that she asks people to drive responsibly during holiday weekends.
There was an injury or fatality about every 12.5 minutes 2017’s Labor Day weekend, according to Sgt. Scott White with Missouri Highway Patrol.
“We worked approximately 1,000 crashes; we had 265 injuries and 11 fatalities,” White said.
Patience and courtesy both go a long way, but White said people should have a sober operator on the roads and the water.
He said every available trooper will work this weekend, and officers will actively look for aggressive driving and impaired driving.
“Use a seatbelt in a vehicle or a life jacket when you’re on or near the water,” Karsten said in a press release.
Last year, according to Missouri Highway Patrol, there were 12 people arrested for boating white intoxicated, 10 boating crashes and 10 injuries.
“We want to make sure people have that life jacket readily available,” White said. “You want to give yourself a fighting chance if for whatever reason you find yourself in the water.”
