With another bout of icy temperatures scheduled to roll through the St. Louis area Wednesday night, the Missouri Department of Transportation is working hard to keep motorists safe on the road.  
 
Kara Price said the most immediate threat to the area is a re-freeze on the roads resulting from plummeting temperatures.

“Crews will monitor the roads for slick areas, especially on bridges and ramps,” she said. “Even though they will be treating these areas with salt, motorists are advised to slow down and be cautious.”

Snow accumulation is forecast to hit the area Wednesday evening and continue through Thursday’s morning rush-hour commute. The National Weather Service says there is a 90 percent of snow coming to St. Peters. It is predicted that two to four inches could fall late Wednesday.

St. Peters will be in a Winter Storm Warning. According to the National Weather Service, heavy snowfall is expected to fall along Interstate 70. The warning kicks it at 6 p.m. and ends at 6 p.m. on Thursday. If snow gets particularly heavy, up to seven inches could fall. 

“Thursday morning might be very slick and messy,” Price said. MoDOT advises motorists to plan for these conditions and make alternate travel plans such as going into work later in the day or telecommuting.

MoDOT has more than 450 employees and 220 trucks available to plow and salt the roads in St. Louis. It will focus first on plowing the highest-traveled interstates and regionally-significant roads—such as Lindbergh Boulevard, Olive Boulevard and Manchester Road—until they are mostly clear. Less-traveled roads will also be plowed with attention given to hills, curves and intersections.

Motorists are encouraged to check out the online traveler information map at www.modot.org or call MoDOT’s 24-hour toll-free customer service center at 1-888-ASK-MoDOT before traveling.

In St. Peters, the city will follow it's normal plan of going after heavily-trafficked roads first, and then working to the lesser-traveled roads. During the snowstorm on Dec. 11, the city had plows out right away and the roads drivable by the morning commute. At the Jan. 13 Board of Alderman meeting, Mayor Len Pagano read a letter from a resident complimenting the city's response to the storm.

St. Peters provides local-road updates on it's public access TV channel. With live look-ins at the roads, residents can check out what  the conditions are before leaving the door.