Winter work zones

Road maintenance doesn’t take a break for the winter. When snow and ice are cleared from the roads and forecast, drivers should expect to see maintenance crews at work on Missouri’s highways, often in slow moving operations.

Fluctuating temperatures and precipitation mean potholes and other types of pavement damage are common during Missouri winters. As the weather allows, the Missouri Department of Transportation will have crews making repairs to roads and bridges throughout the winter season.

“You might not expect to see us in anything except snowplows during these winter months, but the reality is there is still road and bridge maintenance to be done,” said Becky Allmeroth, MoDOT’s chief safety and operations officer. “Stay alert for our slow-moving work zones making these repairs, even when you least expect it.”

In 2020, MoDOT’s truck/trailer-mounted attenuators (TMA), were struck a record-setting 48 times, compared to 36 in 2019. These protective vehicles serve as a warning to traffic approaching a temporary mobile work zone and are the only thing separating workers making road repairs and the traveling public.

Since 2018, nearly two-thirds of all TMAs struck during pothole patching operations occurred during the winter months of November-March. Many of these crashes were the result of drivers not paying attention and/or speeding.