Write Up:

A traffic incident is an unplanned event that blocks travel lanes and temporarily reduces the number of vehicles that can travel on the road. The speed of incident clearance is essential to the highway system returning to normal conditions. Responding to and quickly addressing the incident (crashes, debris and stalled vehicles) improves system performance.

St. Louis recorded 3,113 traffic incidents with an average time of 31.9 minutes to clear those incidents in the third quarter of 2022. Compared to the same period in 2021, there was a decrease of 9.4% in the number of incidents and an increase of 2.2% in clearance times.

Kansas City recorded 2,161 traffic incidents with an average time of 28.4 minutes to clear those incidents in the third quarter of 2022. Compared to the same period in 2021, there was an increase of 11.2% in the number of incidents and an increase of 3.3% in clearance times.

Springfield recorded 501 traffic incidents with an average time of 31.6 minutes to clear those incidents in the third quarter of 2022. Compared to the same period in 2021, there was an increase of 6.1% in the number of incidents and a decrease of 10.2% in clearance times.

Rural counties of I-70 between MM 28 (Oak Grove) to MM 203 (Foristell) recorded 66 incidents and an average clearance time of 54.1 minutes in the third quarter of 2022. Compared to the same period in 2021, there was a decrease of 13.2% in the number of incidents and a decrease of 6.4% in clearance times.

Rural counties of I-44 between MM 0 (Oklahoma) to MM 69 (Springfield) and MM 91 (Strafford) to MM 224 (Sullivan) recorded 72 incidents and an average clearance time of 75.5 minutes in the third quarter of 2022. Compared to the same period in 2021, there was a decrease of 2.7% in the number of incidents and an increase of 22.8% in clearance times.

This reporting period saw a decrease of 1.5% in traffic related incidents in the combined measured areas and an overall increase of 3.9% in clearance times. Staffing levels continue to be a significant concern within the Motorist Assist program in the three TMC regions and changes have occurred to their operations to reflect the shortage in personnel. In Kansas City, they are staffed at 12 operators, but not as many as the 13 they had staffed prior to COVID. In St. Louis, there are 18 operators staffed out of 27 allocated positions. This has resulted in them having to change their operating hours from 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to 16 hours a day, 5 days a week with no weekend coverage. In Springfield, they are staffed at three operators, but not as many as the five operators they had staffed prior to COVID. This has resulted in them having to reduce coverage to primarily only the Springfield area, taking away coverage from Joplin and the I-44 and I-49 corridors. The reduction in staff and operating hours has negatively impacted the number of incidents we can respond to and the assistance we help provide to motorists and emergency responders.

Purpose of the Measure:

This measure is used to determine the trends in incident clearance on the state highway system.

Measurement and Data Collection:

Advanced transportation management systems are used by the St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield traffic management centers to record incident start time and the time when all lanes are declared cleared. Traffic incidents can be divided into three general classes of duration set forth by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices that include minor, intermediate and major incidents. Each class has unique traffic control characteristics and needs.

This target is established by projecting a 10% improvement over a 5-year average.