By Collin Reischman
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — With spring inclement weather a common occurrence and constant concern, along with traveling Missourians as summer vacations approach, the Missouri Department of Transportation has been trying to remind motorists of some new hazards that come in the spring, as well as preparing for weather events. 
Tom Blair, assistant district engineer in MoDOT’s Saint Louis District, said he had “110 percent confidence” in the department’s ability to handle the inclement spring weather.
“We were instrumental in responding to [the] Joplin [tornado], in terms of organization and rebuilding and traffic,” Blair told The Missouri Times. “And we’ve dealt with flooding on our roadways, both short term and long term, for years now, so we understand how to respond to these problems.
Blair said there were four things he wanted to emphasize to as drivers continue to take the road for coming travels.
Spring Flooding
Be careful with standing water on roadways and don’t drive through water on roadways. It doesn’t take nearly as much water as people think to cause problems, he said, so not driving through standing or moving water on the roadways is the best idea.
Work Zones
Contractors and employees are going to be on the road doing work a lot more than during the winter. Long-bare work zones will see a resurgence of workers, so Blair suggests reacquainting with each of the new work zones out there.
Motorcycles
After being mostly indoors for the cold winter, motorcyclists will be back on the road in full swing in the warmth of spring and summer. Reacquaint yourselves with seeing them. There are other transportation forms out there and be looking for those folks in the road.
Click It or Ticket
It’s national Click It or Ticket month, which started just before Memorial Day. MoDOT has their kickoff vent earlier last week in downtown St. Louis to promote basic seat belt safety.
“Seat belts save lives,” Blair stressed. “And law enforcement is keeping a close eye out for possible offenders.”
To contact Collin Reischman, email collin@themissouritimes.com, or via Twitter at @Collin_MOTimes.
Collin Reischman was the Managing Editor for The Missouri Times, and a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
