MODOT: 'We want to regain motorists' trust in us'

The St. Louis metropolitan area is under a winter weather advisory which began at 3 p.m. Friday lasting through midnight.

According to the National Weather Service, there will be a light, freezing drizzle throughout the area. An icy glaze could cover streets during the advisory, making travel potentially treacherous.

Missouri Department of Transportation spokesman Andrew Gates tells Patch that motorists should be especially careful on overpasses, bridges and ramps, where ice can form even when the streets are clear.

“It’s basically the same as any other winter storm,” he said.

He said streets are being pre-treated in anticipation of the freezing rain. However, if it rains while temperatures are still above freezing, the water could wash away the chemicals, so MoDOT will continue retreating to prevent roads from becoming slick.

"We have been pretreating all day. We have been putting salt brine down on roads and bridges, especially the interstates because those are the highly traveled roads that need to be prepared for the evening rush hour," MoDOT Spokesperson Kara Price tells Patch. 

Price said MoDOT is fully staffed Friday afternoon with 204 trucks working.

"We have been preparing for this wintry mix and monitoring the winter forecast," Price tells Patch. "We're ready. We want to regain motorists' trust in us from last week's storm. We are doing our jobs and we want to avoid any icy patches on the roads."

Creve Coeur Public Works Director Jim Heines said last week he thought there would be renewed lines of communication between state, county and city municipal leaders in the wake of MoDOT's handling of last week's winter weather, which caused headaches, especially along Interstate 270. Roads maintained by city of Creve Coeur crews fared better by comparison.

Motorists should check MoDOT’s Traveler Information map for road conditions before their evening commute.