Road conditions still treacherous despite few accidents reported

Despite Monday's winter storm dumping a mixture of ice, sleet, and light snow on Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois roadways, very few accidents were reported Tuesday morning, city, county, and state officials said.

Road conditions remained hazardous by 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, with Interstate 55 and lettered highways still covered with slush, snow, and ice, but only one accident had been reported so far due to the storm, said Keith Denter, spokesman for Missouri Department of Transportation.

The accident, at the 99-mile marker of Interstate 55, occurred around 9 p.m. Monday, when sleet, freezing rain, and snow were beginning to blanket the region.

MODOT's road crews, a bevy of trucks and one grater prowled state roads all night trying to clear the wintry mix, Denter said, and they will continue to work throughout the day as freezing rain and sleet continues to fall.

"Basically, everything's covered," Denter said.

Roads may appear clear in certain spots but treacherous in others, Denter said.

"It's an unusual storm in that some pockets got hit harder than others," he said.

Cape Girardeau County

In Cape Girardeau County, most roadways remained covered with ice Tuesday morning, and the constant precipitation made those roads hazardous, said Randy Richardet, maintanance supervisor for MoDOT.

"Take it slow and watch out for the other guy," Richardet said.

Some of the roadways have been plowed three times over, he said.

Scott City

By 10 a.m. main roads in Scott City were beginning to clear, and traffic moved at a fairly decent clip, but many side roads remained largely impassable, said Scott City Sgt. Casey Dodd.

No accidents had been reported in Scott City limits, Dodd said.

Perryville

Further north, in Perryville, Mo., roads remained covered with snow and ice but passable for those with four-wheels drive, according to Perryville Public Works Department secretary Brenda Ochs.

The city of Perryville had six or seven trucks and one grater working to "blade" ice chunks from the roadways, Ochs said.

In Alexander County, Ill., main roads were slick and hazardous, and secondary raids were even worse, said Chief Deputy Steve Thomas with the Alexander County Sheriff's Department.

Except for one accident near Gale, Ill., when one man slid off the road and left his vehicle in the snow, deciding to walk home instead, not many wrecks have been reported, Thomas said.

"Things have been pretty quiet," Thomas said.

"People are taking our alive and staying home."