MoDOT adjusts its practices to deal differently with each storm and tries to return roads to near-normal driving conditions as soon as possible after a storm’s end. Because MoDOT doesn’t have enough workers or trucks to clear every highway immediately after a snowstorm, the department has set priorities for which roads to clear first.
* Roads with the highest traffic volumes are plowed, or treated, first. These roads include interstates and other large-volume roads, which receive ongoing operations throughout a storm.
* Lower-volume lettered and numbered routes are plowed and treated next. Traffic on these roads may continue to have more snow on them until the higher-volume roads are mostly clear.
As soon as possible after a storm ends, our goal is to return highest traveled routes to mostly clear conditions; and to plow and treat the critical areas of hills, curves and intersections on all other routes. Even after all the driving lanes are mostly clear though, MODOT's work is not done. Workers now must clean up the accumulation of snow on shoulders, bridge edges and at interchanges during normal working hours.
More information to help you handle winter driving conditions
Because MoDOT doesn’t have enough workers or trucks to clear every highway immediately after a snowstorm, the department has set priorities for which roads to clear first.
