Mitchell Kaminski
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Missouri Department of Transportation are working together to curb aggressive driving as crash hot spots emerge in work zones along the Improve I-70 Project.
“This last week has been very challenging for our team across the state,” MDOT Improve I-70 Program Director Eric Kopinski told ABC 17 News. We’re up to eight semis that have flipped over, rolled over across the state in our work zones.”
Crash data shows many of these collisions stem from high speeds in work zones, where conditions are tighter and the margin for error is smaller. The project is still on track to be completed in December 2030. But with nearly 500 people working on the project, Kopinski says there have been several close calls.
“This week alone, we’ve had a number of near-misses. And when I say near-misses, we’re talking feet away from workers being seriously struck, injured or killed,” Kopinski said. “Specifically, we’ve had two of these locations, one in Wentzville and one in Columbia, for our crews out there working. All five of these workers at near-miss locations are Mid-Missouri residents, so they’re near and dear to Mid-Missouri. They’re traveling to Saint Charles or to Columbia to do their job, and all they’re asking to do is go home safely at the end of the day.”
With football season underway, MoDOT is planning to put out weekly releases ahead of Mizzou home games for the rest of the season, when traffic on I-70 is expected to increase.
This week, MODOT will not close additional lanes in each direction of I-70 to limit disruptions during peak travel times, beyond the work zone configurations already in place.
However, even with the extra lane, the department is urging fans headed to the game to leave early as crashes that occur in work zones are more difficult to clear and can lead to long delays. Last week a car overturned on I-70 near Kingdom City following Mizzou’s 52-10 victory over Louisiana, resulting in part of the highway being shut down.
“We know for Mizzou games, for Chiefs games, and for other large events, there are increased travel traffic. The demand on I-70 increases. So our big message to travelers is please still leave early. If you’re going to go to game day on Saturday night, please allow for additional travel time. While there are no planned closures, that that will happen to the system, we do know the likelihood that an unexpected event could occur. So we will be closely monitoring that,” Kopinski said.
MoDOT says it communicates daily with the MSHP and local law enforcement, which Kopinski called the “backbone of the project” to keep workers safe and traffic flowing.
Statewide, the MSHP has also launched efforts to reduce aggressive driving by forming a Strategic Traffic Operations and Rapid Mobilization team. The STORM team, which consists of 23 members, launched operations on Sept. 1.
Officials said the team was chosen for its specialized skills, including K-9 handlers for drug interdiction and tracking, motorcycle units for unique traffic enforcement and officers with experience in spotting impaired drivers and other hazards.
“They’re also going to be assisted by the patrol’s aircraft division as they can be a great benefit,” Lt. Eric Brown of MSPH’s Public Education and Information Division said. “One in locating the speeding vehicles, and they can also see those hazardous moving violations from the air, to multiple lane changes, following to close, cutting cars off. They can identify those vehicles, call them out to the officers on the ground.”
The STORM team deployed Sept. 16 in Jackson County for its first large-scale operation involving 10 of its 23 members.
“They were there targeting hazardous moving violations, and no crashes occurred in that area during that time frame,” Brown said. “As they moved that project into the evening hours, they were quite successful in making some very good criminal arrests, felonies, misdemeanors as well.”
The operation resulted in 72 traffic stops, 89 warnings, five speeding tickets, 14 “hazardous moving citations,” 27 “non-moving citations,” 18 misdemeanor arrests, 12 felony arrest and one gun taken.
MSHP says the team will be deployed statewide to areas experiencing high crash rates or hazardous driving.
“As far as how they’re going to be used in each individual area of the state, that’s still something they’re working to determine,” Brown said. “The members of that are obviously deployed to certain areas to address certain problems. Where that’s really beneficial is when they are sent into an area, whether it be in Jackson County or Boone County or wherever it may be, that those officers are there, in addition to the troopers that are assigned to work there every day and every night. So it’s an increase in manpower for that area to address these traffic issues and these criminal activities.”
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