Winters in the St. Louis area are often unpredictable. The Missouri Department of Transportation is prepared to work around the clock before and during a winter storm to ensure a safe commute for area motorists.

MoDOT’s St. Louis Metro District will have the help of more than 500 employees when clearing roads this winter. They will work in 12-hour shifts when a storm hits the area. The St. Louis District maintains 6,400 lane miles of state-owned interstate highways, numbered and lettered routes. To give you an idea of how many miles that is, if you were to take our roadways and stretch them out to one lane, it would go from New York to San Francisco and back.

During an average snowfall, more than 230 trucks equipped with plows, wing plows, salt brine tanks and rock salt spreaders will be used to fight snow, ice and frost in the St. Louis area. The St. Louis Metro District also has a new piece of equipment called a TowPLow. It is a trailer snowplow pulled by a standard snowplow. It can cut a 30-foot swath or 2.5 lanes of pavement.

The first priority for MoDOT snow-removal crews is to clear the driving lanes on the interstate highways. The second priority is to clear the driving lanes on high-volume roadways such as Olive Blvd., Lindbergh Blvd. or Page Ave. The third priority is to clear the remaining sections of roadways and the outer roads.

Crews always clear the driving lanes first. After the storm, crews go back to plow the overpasses, ramps and shoulders. Then, they remove snow on the sides of bridges and barrier walls.

Drivers should remember to follow these safe driving tips this winter:

• Slow down. When there is ice or snow on the road, reduce your speed by at least one-half of the speed limit. When the roads are wet, reduce your speed by at least one-third of the speed limit.

• Turn your headlights on.

• Stay back at least 100 feet from snowplows.

• Since the roads in the best condition are behind the plows, your safest place to drive is behind the plows.

• Do not pass or drive beside snowplows.
  

To find out more about how MoDOT operates during a winter storm and about winter information in general, please click on a link below.

• MoDOT Ready To Meet The Winter Challenge (188 kb, 1 page)
  
  
• How to Keep Your Driveway Clear
  
  
• St. Louis Weather (Intellicast is not a MoDOT site)
  
  
• MoDOT Statewide Road Conditions

• Tips from the National Safety Council on Driving in the Winter