Live updates: Road conditions improve. Here’s the latest on metro-east, St. Louis highways
Belleville News-Democrat
The latest driving conditions on southwestern IL highways
The Illinois Department of Transportation winter conditions map shows interstates in the metro-east are clear at noon Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, the highways were listed as either covered with snow or partly covered.
The cleared sections include Interstate 70 at the Stan Musial-Veterans Memorial Bridge, Interstate 55-64 at the Poplar Street Bridge, Interstate 270 at the Chain of Rocks Bridge, Interstate 255 at the Jefferson Barracks Bridge and U.S. 67 at the Clark Bridge.
The Missouri Department of Transportation map showed around 11 a.m. portions of St. Louis City interstates moved into the “clear” category while some others remained “mostly clear.”
St. Louis City interstates update, crash near airport
The Missouri Department of Transportation reported just after 10 a.m. St. Louis City interstates were “mostly clear,” meaning the roads are 50% to 75% clear.
A small ribbon of snow may be on the roads, and the shoulders may not be clear.
A vehicle crash was reported on I-70 westbound in St. Louis County at 9:41 a.m. and delays were expected to last one hour.
The incident is before the St. Louis Lambert International Airport, and the right lane has been closed.
One person hurt in crash with snow plow
One person was injured in a crash involving an Illinois Department of Transportation snow plow Wednesday morning, the Illinois State Police reported.
Overall, there were 10 accidents investigated by state troopers in the metro-east, and this included five vehicles that slid off the road.
Troopers responded at 5:24 a.m. to the snow plow incident on Illinois 111 near St. Clair Avenue in St. Clair County, according to a statement from Illinois State Police.
One person was transported to a hospital, but no additional information was available.
Update on metro-east road, bridge conditions
The Jefferson Barracks Bridge was mostly covered with snow shortly after 8 a.m. Wednesday, the Illinois Department of Transportation reported.
The Musial, Poplar Street, Chain of Rocks and Clark bridges were partly covered with snow, which was an improvement from earlier in the morning.
Interstate 255 at Illinois 15 in St. Clair County and Illinois 15 in Belleville were mostly covered with snow.
Interstate 64 west of Illinois 159 was partly covered with snow but was listed as clear east of Illinois 159.
Interstate 270 was partly covered with snow west of Interstate 255 and was mostly covered east of I-255.
A MetroBus slid off the roadway at the intersection of South Long and Main streets in Caseyville early Wednesday, but no injuries were reported on the #13 Caseyville-Maryville route.
“Fortunately, there were no passengers onboard at the time and the operator was unharmed and did not require medical attention. We are waiting for a tow to arrive to help free the bus,” Metro Transit spokesman Jerry Vallely said in a statement.
Some MetroBus routes are experiencing minor delays due to road conditions, but no significant weather-related delays at this time, Metro Transit reported.
St. Louis interstate update
The Missouri Department of Transportation reported at 7:01 a.m. some St. Louis City interstates are now “mostly clear,” meaning the roads are 50% to 75% clear. A small ribbon of snow may be on the roads and the shoulders may not be clear.
Portions of I-44, I-55, I-64 and I-70 were listed as mostly clear. Updated information by location is available online from MoDOT.
A person walks down Cherry Dr. in Fairview Heights Wednesday morning as a light snow falls on the region. According to the National Weather Service of St. Louis, the region has seen 1-3 inches of accumulating snow. As of early Wednesday morning, they did not expect that total to increase much, if at all. Derik Holtmann dholtmann@bnd.com
According to Lydia Jaja, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service of St. Louis, the region has seen 1-3 inches of accumulating snow. As of early Wednesday morning, she did not expect that total to increase much, if at all.
“Snow will continue falling and it looks like we’re expecting light snow to fall through the morning,” Jaja said, adding she expects the snow to be completely out of the area by the end of the morning. “But the heaviest snow is over. Accumulations likely aren’t going to grow a whole lot after this.”
The region remains under a winter storm warning, which is set to expire at noon Wednesday.
As such, Jaja still stressed extreme caution for people commuting this morning.
“If you do have to be on the roads, definitely slow down,” she said. “Leave space between you and car in front of you. Be aware a lot of drivers are not taking caution, so defensive driving is a must.”
Jaja also explained why the snowfall totals likely will fall well short of various predictions of up to 10 inches. Even as late as Tuesday afternoon, National Weather Service models still showed 4-8 inches of accumulating snow.
“The rain took a lot longer to transition to snow than we expected,” she said. “So that really ate into the snowfall amounts that we forecast.”
With projected highs of 46 on Friday and 50 on Saturday, the snow likely will melt quickly.
Madison County Courthouse is opening later than normal due to the weather. The courthouse is open to the public beginning at 9:30 a.m.
Weather service cautions commuters
The National Weather Service in St. Louis reports that snowfall has been lighter than expected, but cautions area residents about road conditions.
Parts of our area have been downgraded to a winter weather advisory, while other sections remain under a winter storm warning.
“Regardless, with much of the area experiencing accumulating snowfall over the next several hours, impacts are expected on untreated surfaces during the morning commute,” the weather service reported in a morning forecast discussion update. “This will primarily be the case over southeastern and northeastern Missouri, as well as southwestern Illinois where previously forecasted accumulation and our Winter Storm remain on track.”
The Chain of Rocks, Jefferson Barracks and Clark bridges over the Mississippi River were mostly covered with snow, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Interstate 64 at the Poplar Street Bridge was partly covered with snow.
St. Clair County reports vehicles sliding off roads
A vehicle was in a ditch at Illinois 15 westbound and Illinois 159 in Belleville and a vehicle slid off the road on Illinois 15 at Illinois13, the St. Clair County Emergency management Agency reported shortly before 6 a.m. Wednesday.
— Mike Koziatek, mkoziatek@bnd.com
A Fairview Heights snow plow clears the wet, slushy snow from Market Place Wednesday morning. According to a National Weather Service of St. Louis representative, the region has seen 1-3 inches of accumulating snow. As of early Wednesday morning, they did not expect that total to increase much, if at all. Derik Holtmann dholtmann@bnd.com
The winter storm warning for St. Louis City, St. Louis County and some surrounding areas has been downgraded to a winter weather advisory. The advisory is set to end 6 p.m. Wednesday.
As of 6 a.m. Wednesday, MoDOT listed I-64 West and other St. Louis City interstates as “partly covered,” indicating the roads are 50% to 75% covered. While roads have received some treatment, snow or ice cover significant portions.
A vehicle crash was reported on I-70 Eastbound past Adelaide Avenue at 6:02 a.m. The right lane is closed, and drivers should expect delays for about one hour, MoDOT says. The incident begins 0.9 miles before Adelaide Avenue East and ends 0.36 miles after Prairie Avenue East.
The National Weather Service St. Louis office wrote in a tweet around 5 a.m. snowfall amounts are less than expected around the metro due to rain taking longer to transition to snow.
The morning commute is still expected to be hazardous, and those who must drive are advised to take caution.
— Meredith Howard, mhoward@bnd.com
St. Clair County buildings closed
St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern decided Tuesday to allow all county buildings to close for the day Wednesday in anticipation of the snow.
The announcement was posted on the county website and social media Tuesday night.
Belleville closes city offices
The city of Belleville announced Tuesday night that municipal offices will be closed Wednesday due to the inclement weather.
This story was originally published January 25, 2023 at 6:50 AM.
