Write Up:

During the fourth quarter of 2020, average travel times and reliability remained much lower than recent historical levels largely due to a decrease in traffic volume and shifting traffic patterns. Average travel times during morning rush and evening rush in both St. Louis and Kansas City decreased compared to the fourth quarter of 2019. Average speeds across both regions ranged from 59 to 64 miles per hour. These speeds are much higher compared to the same period last year, where average speeds ranged from 49 to 54 mph. The morning and evening average travel times in St. Louis and Kansas City were all below their respective targets other than the evening rush in Kansas City.

Planning time accounts for unexpected delays and indicates how much time customers need to plan for their trip in order to arrive on time 95% of the time. In St. Louis, motorists traveling during morning rush needed to plan just 14 seconds more for a 10-mile trip than they would otherwise need in free-flow conditions. During the evening rush period, customers needed to plan for an additional 1 minute, 26 seconds for a 10-mile trip. Customers traveling during the Kansas City morning rush needed to plan an additional 49 seconds more for a 10-mile trip than they would need in free-flow conditions. During the evening rush customers needed to plan for an additional 1 minute, 46 seconds of travel. The planning times were less than the fourth quarter of 2019 in all rush periods. The planning times for both regions represent average rush-hour speeds between 51 and 59 mph.

Purpose of the Measure:

This measure tracks the mobility of significant state routes in St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield and Columbia.

Measurement and Data Collection:

Travel time data is collected continuously via wireless technology. To assess mobility, MoDOT compares travel times during rush hour to free-flow conditions where vehicles can travel at the posted speed limit. This measure also assesses reliability, an indicator of how variable those travel times are on a daily basis.

The charts in this measure show the average travel time and the 95th percentile travel time, which is the time motorists should plan in order to reach their destinations timely 95% of the time.

The maps display the reliability of specific sections of roadways during rush hour.

The targets for average travel time are updated quarterly. The targets are established by projecting a 10% improvement over the average of the same quarter over the previous two years. The minimum value for the target time is 10 minutes. This corresponds to the time it takes to travel 10 miles at the posted speed limit of 60 miles per hour.