ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Missouri and Illinois Transportation officials are warning against traveling after midnight on New Year’s Eve because of icy precipitation that will come in with the New Year.
That was the message Thursday from MoDOT and IDOT as their crews worked in advance to prepare roadways for an ice event.
About 200 MODOT trucks and drivers are on-duty this New Year’s Eve, preparing area roadways for what would be the first weather event of 2021.
Joe Monroe, an IDOT spokesman, said, “I rarely tell folks to stay home. It’s the middle of a pandemic, we know we have an ice storm. If you don’t have to be out tonight, have a sober night. We’ll try to get the roads in good shape, and you can celebrate tomorrow.”
MODOT District Maintenance Engineer Bill Becker said, “We need people to be careful out there, especially since it’s New Year’s Eve and a lot of people are out. Just after midnight, people will wrap things up and want to head home. Depending on how this weather comes in, that could be the worst part of the storm.”
As far as treatment strategy goes, IDOT, mindful of the pandemic, pre-treated roads leading to healthcare facilities.
“So we picked 67,” said Monroe. “There are several hospitals along that corridor. We picked the River Road because that’s an important corridor for Calhoun County. And then with the I-70 corridor that helps in Bond County as well – Highway 127.”
Becker said crews in Missouri are prepared to work New Year’s Day, if necessary.
“If the sun comes out things will melt off really quickly,” he said. “It doesn’t take much above freezing to help that out. Still, things will be spotty, and we want people to be careful out there.”
Regarding the pandemic, IDOT officials say their staff has been impacted by quarantines and isolation. But officials are confident they have the staff for whatever weather is heading our way.
Becker said you can check road conditions in the state of Missouri on the travel information map at modot.org.
