Write Up:

Providing safe and efficient travel in work zones is essential to protecting the public, and MoDOT crews remain committed to managing work zone operations as safely as possible.

In the third quarter of 2026, there were five on-system work zone fatal crashes, resulting in five fatalities. Two of these incidents involved vulnerable road users (VRUs), and one involved a motorcycle. During this same period, there were zero work zone fatal crashes on the local system. Below is a summary of the third quarter crashes:

Vulnerable Roadway Users:
• One pedestrian crash occurred when an individual attempted to cross the interstate mainlines. There did not appear to be any construction activity that would have prompted them to cross at that location, and the reason they chose that route is unknown.
• One pedestrian crash involved an individual standing behind their vehicle on the shoulder when they were struck by a vehicle that departed the roadway.
Vehicular:
• Three crashes were rear-end collisions where work zone congestion was noted as a contributing factor. One involved a motorcycle striking a semi-truck. The other two involved passenger vehicles rear-ending other passenger vehicles.
Other:
• One work zone fatality was noted that was not classified as a vehicular crash. Since it is not classified as a vehicular crash, it is not reported in the results of this measure.

Purpose of Measure:

This measure tracks the number of traffic-related and non-traffic-related fatalities, injuries and overall crashes occurring in work zones on state-owned and off-system roadways.

Measurement and Data Collection:

Missouri law enforcement agencies submit a vehicle accident report form to the Missouri State Highway Patrol to be entered into a statewide traffic crash database. The database automatically updates MoDOT’s crash database system, which is part of the Transportation Management System (TMS). MoDOT staff query and analyze this data to identify work zone-related crash statistics. Missouri State Highway Patrol prioritizes entry of the crash reports by fatality, serious injury and property damage only.

The target for this measure is updated quarterly. This target is established by projecting a 10% improvement over a 5-year average.