If a motorist needs to report a pothole, a dead deer in the road, a malfunctioning traffic light, or just has a question about the state’s highways, now MoDOT is ready to handle those questions anytime day or night.

Since September MoDOT’s toll-free number, 1-888-ASK-MODOT, has been answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week by a live customer service representative. We’re one of the few, if not the only, transportation department in the country to offer such a high level of service to the public.

“We’re very proud to offer this level of response,” said MoDOT Director Pete Rahn. “Incidents don’t just happen during work hours. Now we’re ready to respond with live assistance whenever we’re needed.”

MoDOT’s customer service centers, one in each district, handle all these toll-free calls during workdays. After hours, all calls are routed to Kansas City or St. Louis. Kansas City handles the northern half of the state and St. Louis handles the southern half. Routine calls can be forwarded to the appropriate district for response the next business day. For high-priority calls, the Kansas City and St. Louis centers have access to a statewide database of MoDOT crews they can reach for immediate assistance.

“So far 24/7 has been working pretty well,” said Tom Grippe, supervisor of the St. Louis Customer Service Center. “People seem to appreciate getting a live person on the phone.

“We used to get about 100 calls a month after hours (in St. Louis),” he said. “In September we handled about 400, so we’re definitely helping more people right away. And when they have incidents that need quick attention, we’re able to get help out there fast.

“As more people learn about this service our call volumes will keep going up,” Grippe said. “And we’ll really get the calls when winter weather hits!”