MoDOT workers, spouses talk about seasonal struggles

Crews with the Missouri Department of Transportation have been working long days and nights with the winter weather.

Workers are scheduled for 12 hour shifts, but often work longer during winter weather. MoDOT said employees in Boone County have been averaging between 20 and 30 hours of overtime per week.

Josh Reynolds has worked for MoDOT for almost six years.

Reynolds said this winter has been especially bad for the men and women who work at MoDOT.

“It’s been more this year. We’ve spent more time. For me on nights, you know, we’ve had different hours on nights just because of the weather,” Reynolds said. “Sometimes we’ve come in at, you know, three o’clock in the morning and then kind of worked through the day.”

Becky Reynolds is married to Josh. She also said this winter has been noticeably worse than previous years.

“He’s been gone a lot. So I think he worked almost 20-something days straight on nights. So it’s been a lot,” she said.

Brandon Smith also works at MoDOT. He said the long shifts in the winter cause him to miss the normal routine of family life, like putting his kids to bed.

He said they are also hard on his wife who has to take care of their three kids while he is at work.

“Toward the end of winter it drags on and she gets to the point where she’s like, ‘I want you home. Why do you got to go to work?'” he said.

Brandon’s wife, Alicia Smith, works two jobs and takes care of their three children.

She said she has a good understanding of the work and a good support system because her father also works for MoDOT.

Josh Reynolds said winters like this one where they work a lot of overtime are especially difficult.

“For spouses it’s like a hi and bye type ordeal,” Josh Reynolds said. “It’s enough to say, ‘Hey. How’s your work doing?’ Maybe a real quick dinner and then you’re out the door.”

Becky Reynolds said she worries about her husband a lot when he’s out on the roads.

“A couple years ago his truck slid off on Route F and went into a ditch. He was there for a long time with no heat, no nothing. He couldn’t get out of his truck,” she said. “I kind of always remember and reflect back on that. Those days were kind of scary because he was out there in the middle of nowhere.”

She said crews could not get a tow truck to him because the roads were too slick.

Josh and Becky Reynolds said their five kids feel the effects of his long hours.

“I know it kind of upsets them when I’m not there for like their sports. And then for me too, you know, because you’re missing that, you don’t get to reverse it,” Josh Reynolds said.

Brandon Smith also said his kids feel the effects, but his work is worth it.

“When I leave, when my littlest one runs up to me and says, you know, ‘Go out and keep people safe, dad,’ well that kind of takes away from the guilt, you know,” he said.

He said he loves his job because he knows the work he does keeps people’s families safe.

Josh Reynolds also said he is proud for the same reason.

“I take pride in knowing that I’m out on the road and I’m doing the best of my abilities to make the roads safe.”

Alicia Smith said her family understands why their husband and dad need to be gone so long.

“We appreciate what he does for the fact of he’s out there along with all of his shed and his crew,” she said.

She said she tries not to take the time they have together for granted.

“During our time, whenever we do get to spend our time, normally him and I will take at least like 10 minutes of just him and I time, whether it be, we go and we lay in our bed and honestly we just kind of cuddle and hold each other for a few and just talk for a little bit,” she said.

The Smith family is planning on taking a trip to Branson next time Brandon gets a few days off.