Boone County 911 dispatch center officials say the weekend’s winter weather conditions were a key factor in about a quarter of all car accident reports that occurred Friday through Monday.
20 incident reports listed cars sliding and unable to brake, and two additional incidents were reportedly caused by snowplows, said Boone County Joint Communication’s Records Custodian Thomas Holmes in an emailed statement to KBIA. This implies road conditions were impacted by the inclement weather, Holmes said.
The Missouri Department of Transportation is responsible for plowing major state roads that run through Columbia, including Providence Road, College Avenue and Stadium Boulevard. Boone County plows handle county roads around the city, while the city is responsible for roads inside the city limits.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, one driver died in Boone County on Nov. 30 after traveling off the Interstate 70 roadway, but the report does not make clear if the fatality was due to winter conditions.
City of Columbia’s response
“We're always trying to do the best job we can and to make sure that we're addressing conditions that are out there,” said Richard Stone, Columbia Public Works’ engineering and operations manager. “We don't control mother nature, but we do control how we plan for it and how we respond to it. I think generally we responded pretty well.”
Stone said the Columbia Public Works department is currently operating at a 10 percent vacancy with 4 open positions for plow operators — a number lower than the last several years.
Though he would like to hire enough staff for the city’s 45 snowplow operator positions, Stone said the department was still able to plow all 691 miles of priority routes around schools, hospitals and employment centers after the weekend’s winter weather.
Stone said the department created passable conditions for people practicing smart winter driving in front wheel drive vehicles with good tires.
“We’re about 1,000 feet from every residence, so hopefully folks can get that far on plow treated roads all the way to their destination,” Stone said.
Because the weekend’s snow was under four inches, Public Works did not reach all the 1,100 cul-de-sacs under its jurisdiction, Stone said. He said some roads still likely have snow and ice.
“Once people drive across snow and they pack it in, it’s gonna take sun to get rid of it, or an enormous amount of salt,” Stone said. “So, we’re trying to be prudent with both resources and impact to environment.”
Depending on the volume of future snow this winter, Stone said the department might need to rent loaders or employ some of its single and tandem-axle dump trucks and one-ton trucks.
University of Missouri safety efforts
University of Missouri spokesperson Travis Zimpfer said more than 80 campus facilities staff reported for duty Saturday to pre-treat sidewalks and parking lots on campus. After the snow fell, landscape services cleared about 100 miles of sidewalks and 30 miles of roads while construction services addressed snow in parking lots.
“Safety is a top priority — making sure that campus can operate efficiently, at full capacity,” Zimpfer said, adding that it is MU’s policy to keep campus open when possible.
Because the weekend’s snow was wetter and heavier than predicted, Zimpfer said campus facilities continued to monitor ice buildup through the weekend, arriving at 6 a.m. Monday morning to address snow that re-froze on heavily trod areas of campus.
“We’re always making sure to monitor weather situations especially as we head into winter, so if we do get more snowfall, we’re going to be able to put the same plans into effect and hopefully make sure that we can keep Mizzou running.”
