HANNIBAL — Missouri Department of Transportation crews are on a mission to repair potholes on smaller and larger routes throughout the area following the recent extreme cold in February.
A Palmyra, Mo., police officer checks speeds of motorists passing through Palmyra on U.S. 61 on Friday. The average speeding ticket is written for speeds of 15-20 mph over the posted 55-mph speed limit. Missouri safety agencies are working with the Missouri Department of Transportation on its five-year strategic highway safety plan. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported 989 people lost their lives on Missouri roads in 2020, the highest level since 2007.
COURIER-POST PHOTO/TREVOR MCDONALD
HANNIBAL â Local crews were prepared ahead of Wednesdayâs snowfall, which canceled school and brought a significant decrease in traffic.
Marion County Sheriff Jimmy Shinn said traffic was below normal levels throughout the day â with school and other events being canceled, he said people were taking extra precautions. Minor and major routes were still covered as snow fell at noon, and Shinn reported there had been several single slide-off accidents but no collisions.
Missouri Department of Transportation and Hannibal Street Department crew members and law enforcement officials all were prepared for the wintry conditions that began early Monday.
Edie Graupman, management assistant for the Department of Public Works, said Hannibal street crews began pre-treating city streets with a liquid brine mix Tuesday during the day and evening, allowing the substance to begin to melt the snow before heading out with their plows.
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Andrew Dittmer loads materials to apply to roads during the storm while Curtis Hudnut waits in a MoDOT snowplow truck on Tuesday. The National Weather Service is predicting snow, sleet, freezing rain and rain as the first major winter storm of the year comes through Northeast Missouri. Changing wintry conditions are expected throughout the week, with temperatures hovering around 32 degrees.
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