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 2,804 incidents in the first quarter of 2020. The average time to clear traffic incidents was 26.8 minutes, a decrease of 11.8% from the first quarter of 2019.

Kansas City recorded 1,853 incidents in the first quarter of 2020. The average time to clear traffic incidents was 19.7 minutes, a decrease of 9.7% from the first quarter of 2019.

Springfield recorded 348 incidents in the first quarter of 2020. The average time to clear traffic incidents was 33.6 minutes, an increase of 27.3% from the first quarter of 2019.

Rural counties of I-70 between MM 28 (Oak Grove) to MM 203 (Foristell) recorded 52 incidents in the first quarter of 2020. The average time to clear traffic incidents was 71.3 minutes, an increase of 46.1% from the first quarter of 2019.

Rural counties of I-44 between MM 0 (Oklahoma) to MM 69 (Springfield) and MM 91 (Strafford) to MM 224 (Sullivan) recorded 100 incidents in the first quarter of 2020. The average time to clear traffic incidents was 64.9 minutes, a decrease of 24% from the first quarter of 2019.

Incidents during the first quarter for Kansas City, St. Louis and Springfield consisted of law enforcement investigations for shootings, weather events, pedestrian fatalities, work zone crashes and a multitude of tractor trailer crashes. This quarter there was a decrease in the total number of traffic incidents across all measured areas, especially in Kansas City, St. Louis and along Rural I-44 that experienced significant reductions in major incidents. Incident clearance times went up in Springfield and Rural I-70 as a result of an increase in major incidents. A contributing factor in the overall reduction in incidents is the decreased traffic volumes attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic that began mid-March. With the reduction of total traffic incidents, there was a comparable reduction in assists performed by our Motorist Assist Operators in Kansas City and St Louis. MoDOT continues to participate in and integrate more Federal Highway Every Day Counts Round 5 (EDC-5) crowdsourcing initiatives into Transportation Management Center operations and Motorist Assist programs.

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 five-year average.