Mid-Missouri road crews battle another round of snow
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Missouri Department of Transportation's Central District warned drivers of the chance for roads to refreeze overnight Monday.
Meanwhile, snow continued to fall over much of Mid-Missouri on Monday night, covering again roads that had been clear and setting up a slow travel scenario for the Tuesday commute.
The MoDOT Central District said Monday night that roads would be slick and black ice would present an especially significant danger.
Columbia Public Works is continuing to work and treat the priority routes through the night and morning. The plow trucks are continuing to replow the same routes to be sure they are clear.
“Early in the day if it melts there’s a potential for a refreeze and roads to be difficult," Columbia Public Works spokesman Barry Dalton said. "So … that’s why we're going to have a crew on 24-7, continue working priority routes and we just advise people to stay home if they can, but if they do need to get out to drive with extreme caution."
Columbia Public works also said it's challenging because of the continuous snowfall and low temperatures, but they are doing the best they can to keep those priority routes clear.
Boone County
The Boone County Fire Protection District said at about 4 p.m. Monday that I-70 and Highway 63 were in good shape but sidestreets remained snow-covered yet passable.
The fire district said it worked nine crashes Sunday and another five Monday.
Jefferson City
At around 3 p.m. Jefferson City Operations Division Director Britt Smith said most of the roads in the city were in good condition, as city crews prepped for round two.
Smith said a full crew will continue to treat roads until the evening rush hour is over, then a smaller crew will come in and stay until road conditions are good, overnight if needed.
He said a full crew will come in at 4 a.m. Tuesday to get the roads prepped for the morning commute, but that there could still be slick spots before sunrise.
Statewide
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said Monday morning that troopers responded to more than 2,000 calls and 685 traffic crashes. The patrol said late Monday morning that roads were starting to deteriorate in some parts of Missouri.
The MoDOT traveler information map showed state highways were covered or partially covered around Mid-Missouri. Highway 63 was mostly clear between Columbia and Jefferson City and Interstate 70 was clear through most of Columbia.
