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 3,331 incidents in the second quarter of 2020. The average time to clear traffic incidents was 24.4 minutes, a decrease of 9.3% from the second quarter of 2019.

Kansas City recorded 1,906 incidents in the second quarter of 2020. The average time to clear traffic incidents was 21.2 minutes, a decrease of 9.0% from the second quarter of 2019.

Springfield recorded 528 incidents in the second quarter of 2020. The average time to clear traffic incidents was 35.5 minutes, an increase of 13.4% from the second quarter of 2019.

Rural counties of I-70 between mile marker 28 (Oak Grove) to MM 203 (Foristell) recorded 66 incidents in the second quarter of 2020. The average time to clear traffic incidents was 64.7 minutes, a decrease of 12.6% from the second 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 119 incidents in the second quarter of 2020. The average time to clear traffic incidents was 52.8 minutes, a decrease of 30.2% from the second quarter of 2019.

Of the 5,679 incidents during the second quarter of 2020 for the Kansas City, St. Louis and Springfield areas, 41% were attributed to vehicle crashes, 30% to debris in the roadway, 20% to stalled vehicles and 9% to other traffic control related issues. Collectively of the three urban areas, there was a decrease of 8% in the number of traffic related issues from second quarter 2020 compared to second quarter 2019, with an 8% reduction in the number of traffic crashes compared to the other categories. Much like last Tracker period, a contributing factor in the overall reduction in incidents is the decreased traffic volumes attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. Incident clearance times decreased in all areas with the exception of the Springfield area, which saw an increase due to incidents and fatalities involving pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcycle crashes. Julie's Automated Waste-Removal System (JAWS) has now been implemented in all three urban area Motorist Assist Programs, greatly reducing risk and injury to personnel removing what is a significant amount of debris associated incidents from the roadway.

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.