Write Up:

During the third quarter of 2020, travel time and reliability remained much lower than recent historical levels corresponding to a decrease in traffic volume. Average travel times during morning rush and evening rush in both St. Louis and Kansas City decreased compared to the third quarter of 2019. Average speeds across both regions ranged from 60 to 64 miles per hour. These speeds are much higher compared to the same period last year, where average speeds ranged from 49 to 55 mph in the morning and 32 to 42 mph in the evening. The morning and evening average travel times in St. Louis and Kansas City were both within a few seconds above or below the target.

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, customers 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, 31 seconds for a 10-mile trip. Customers traveling during the Kansas City morning rush needed to plan an additional 39 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, 22 second of travel. The planning times were less than the second quarter of 2019 in all rush periods. The planning times for both regions represent average rush-hour speeds between 52 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.