The summer construction schedule could change as repairs to roads damaged by flooding will take priority.
According to the Missouri Department of Transportation, hundreds of Missouri roads are closed due to flooding.
According to MoDOT Area Engineer Adam Watson, the roads closed include ones that have been closed since the flooding in March and roads closed from recent flooding.
Watson said roads will not be opened and repairs cannot start until the rainy season slows down and waters can recede. Watson adds that flooding, as well as traffic, has caused damage to roads this spring.
“A lot of people, or like the railroad or other civil services, those project are hauling a lot of material. Well, that material is coming out of heavy trucks, heavy rock trucks, (and) those trucks are doing damage as well that we didn’t expect this early in the season,” Watson said. “There’s been a lot of heavy equipment prior to the floods or even just these last few weeks – people wanting to get their farm equipment up and out of areas that are prone to flooding – that equipment has been running over the roads when and where we didn’t expect it, so we’ve had considerable additional damage because of the flood.”
Watson said since there has been levee damage, every time the river comes up, the roads are re-flooded and that will continue through the rainy season.
“I’m not a great crystal ball reader, I don’t know how long this rainy season is going to last, but it’s going to last quite some time. Then compound that with quite a bit of rain falling north of us and quite a bit of snow melt north of us still to be coming down this way,” Watson said. “That’s going to keep the river level higher, longer and it’s going to compound our problems without the levees.”
Watson said anyone can report a flooded or damaged road to MoDOT by calling 1-888-ASK-MODOT.
“What we’re really concerned about is the damage they might see from water, not even necessarily flooding, but a lot of rain or a lot of water pushing along the roads sometimes even washes out culverts,” Watson said. “While that’s more difficult to see, it does erode its way up into the road system or the pavement. If they see that, definitely give us a call.”
Motorists can find a map of road closures around the state at modot.org.