Mid-Missourians stayed off the roads on New Year’s Day, leading to few ice-related crashes

Mid-Missourians followed the advice of the National Weather Service (NWS) and state troopers to stay home during the New Year’s Day winter storm.

There was a winter weather advisory for the entire listening area for almost 24 hours, through early Sunday morning.

State troopers in the 13-county Troop F area tell 939 the Eagle that they assisted 28 stranded motorists on Saturday and investigated 31 crashes, 28 of which were non-injury accidents. There were no fatalities.

Ice and freezing rain were the biggest issues in Columbia and across the I-70 corridor. Columbia Public Works crews spent all day and night Saturday treating priority routes like Providence, Broadway, Vandiver and Worley. They also treated bridges, hills and intersections.

Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) crews focused on I-70, Highway 63 and Highway 54. One 939 the Eagle listener saw nine vehicles off the road between Wright City and Columbia on Sunday morning. They appeared to have been slide-offs from Saturday.