The Missouri State Highway Patrol is trying to reduce crashes on Interstate 70 in the Callaway County work zone — using aircraft.
The Highway Patrol used planes on Tuesday in addition to patrol vehicles to enforce speed limits, a strategy the Aircraft Division uses on all major interstates and highways in Troop F, which encompasses much of mid-Missouri.
The Highway Patrol decided to use the strategy in the Callaway County work zone on I-70 following complaints of speeding in the work zone, where the speed limit is 55 mph, and frustration over crashes in the construction zone.
The Missouri Department of Transportation is expanding I-70 between Columbia and Kingdom City to include a third lane in each direction, a multi-year project that will eventually add a third lane across the state. But for now, some sections are down to just one lane each way, bordered by concrete barriers and narrowed shoulders.
The work zone in Callaway County spans from around mile marker 136 to 148.
"We want to go out, try to make a difference in that area," Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Kyle Green said.
Officials say the planes add a layer of stealth to catch more drivers.
"Most people that are speeding, you're looking for patrol cars on the side of the road or a trooper, somebody running radar, but very rarely is somebody driving down the road, looking out their windshield or their side window for an airplane," Green said.
In the airplane, a trooper with the MSHP Aircraft Division uses a stopwatch to measure the time it takes a driver to get between two marks on the road, which are 660 feet apart. The trooper uses that time to calculate the driver's speed.
The trooper in the air then radios down to a trooper on the ground, who then stops the driver.
"It's very effective; it's something that we've been using for a long time," Green said.
Green said the operation Tuesday in Callaway County lasted about an hour and a half. In that time, troopers issued seven speed citations, one speed warning, one citation for failure to display valid plates, one citation for no insurance and nine other warnings. The highest speed recorded was 84 mph, Green said.
"We may be out there again tomorrow, maybe a week from now, so if you travel to the area, make sure that you're always going the posted speed limit in that construction zone because you never know when we might have the plane up," Green said.
Green said speeding is common in the work zone, with many drivers still going over 70 mph despite the reduced speed limit. However, Green said many crashes in the work zone are related to distracted driving or driving too close.
