COLUMBIA | The blizzard of 2011 blanketed and buffeted out-state Missouri on Tuesday, shutting down most of Interstate 70, closing the University of Missouri and scrambling thousands of emergency responders.
The Missouri Department of Transportation late Tuesday afternoon closed I-70 from Interstate 470 in Independence to suburban St. Louis, citing white-out conditions that forced state crews off the highway.
Highway officials will assess when to reopen the interstate around 8 or 9 this morning.
The closure was accomplished largely without major traffic congestion or other problems, unlike a similar closure in 2006. An overturned semi-truck caused a disruption east of Columbia, but most traffic was diverted onto smaller roads without incident.
Accidents and other complications were minimized largely because Missourians simply stayed off the roads, highway and public safety officials said.
“I’ve been doing this for 14 years, and there’s less people on the roads today than any storm I’ve seen before,” said Boone County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Mike Perkins.
The same was true statewide.
“Many people didn’t go out today,” said state Department of Public Safety spokesman Mike O’Connell. “That helps tremendously.”
Central Missouri was expected to receive the state’s heaviest snowfall, with possible accumulations topping 20 inches in the area between Marshall and Columbia, according to the National Weather Service.
The Missouri National Guard — called to the ready by Gov. Jay Nixon on Monday afternoon — had 600 soldiers on standby, including 200 in the Kansas City area. Units were actually called into service in Bolivar and Pierce City in southwest Missouri.
MoDOT reported having 1,500 vehicles operating in response to the blizzard, while the highway patrol had troopers working 12-hour shifts.
At Gasper’s Travel Plaza in Kingdom City, the snow was so bad that clerk Paula Vanderlin couldn’t see across U.S. 54, not quite 100 yards away. The truck stop is located just off I-70.
“It is covered in snow,” she said. “It’s literally whited out.”
She had greeted several travelers with the bad news and referred them to nearby motels, which were tough to see from a distance. “A lot of people don’t like the news we’re giving them,” she said.
The nearby Days Inn had taken in a few guests, but there weren’t too many, said desk clerk Jack Patel. Again, it might be because a lot of people stayed home. “Outside is bad; you can’t even see,” he added.
The University of Missouri’s flagship campus closed Monday evening and will stay closed through today.
At the state Capitol, lawmakers held a brief session Tuesday morning but adjourned before noon with plans not to return until next Monday.
Tuesday’s closing of I-70 went much smoother than December 2006 when a storm forced it shut east of U.S. 65 to west of Boonville.
The highway was littered with stranded cars and trucks. Cars weren’t detoured until about 12 hours after the storm forced snowplows off the road.
Provided By: Kansas City Star
The Missouri Department of Transportation late Tuesday afternoon closed I-70 from Interstate 470 in Independence to suburban St. Louis, citing white-out conditions that forced state crews off the highway.
Highway officials will assess when to reopen the interstate around 8 or 9 this morning.
The closure was accomplished largely without major traffic congestion or other problems, unlike a similar closure in 2006. An overturned semi-truck caused a disruption east of Columbia, but most traffic was diverted onto smaller roads without incident.
Accidents and other complications were minimized largely because Missourians simply stayed off the roads, highway and public safety officials said.
“I’ve been doing this for 14 years, and there’s less people on the roads today than any storm I’ve seen before,” said Boone County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Mike Perkins.
The same was true statewide.
“Many people didn’t go out today,” said state Department of Public Safety spokesman Mike O’Connell. “That helps tremendously.”
Central Missouri was expected to receive the state’s heaviest snowfall, with possible accumulations topping 20 inches in the area between Marshall and Columbia, according to the National Weather Service.
The Missouri National Guard — called to the ready by Gov. Jay Nixon on Monday afternoon — had 600 soldiers on standby, including 200 in the Kansas City area. Units were actually called into service in Bolivar and Pierce City in southwest Missouri.
MoDOT reported having 1,500 vehicles operating in response to the blizzard, while the highway patrol had troopers working 12-hour shifts.
At Gasper’s Travel Plaza in Kingdom City, the snow was so bad that clerk Paula Vanderlin couldn’t see across U.S. 54, not quite 100 yards away. The truck stop is located just off I-70.
“It is covered in snow,” she said. “It’s literally whited out.”
She had greeted several travelers with the bad news and referred them to nearby motels, which were tough to see from a distance. “A lot of people don’t like the news we’re giving them,” she said.
The nearby Days Inn had taken in a few guests, but there weren’t too many, said desk clerk Jack Patel. Again, it might be because a lot of people stayed home. “Outside is bad; you can’t even see,” he added.
The University of Missouri’s flagship campus closed Monday evening and will stay closed through today.
At the state Capitol, lawmakers held a brief session Tuesday morning but adjourned before noon with plans not to return until next Monday.
Tuesday’s closing of I-70 went much smoother than December 2006 when a storm forced it shut east of U.S. 65 to west of Boonville.
The highway was littered with stranded cars and trucks. Cars weren’t detoured until about 12 hours after the storm forced snowplows off the road.
Provided By: Kansas City Star
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