By Rachel Lippmann, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – Wintry weather in the metro region kept down the traffic volume this morning as drivers marked the first day without the eastern half of the I-64 reconstruction.
Officials say weather caused most of the delays on what was otherwise a smooth commute.
Engineers with the Missouri Department of Transportation don't know how far below normal traffic flow was, because street-level counters were frozen and cameras were iced over. But even with lighter than normal traffic, Forest Park Parkway had reached capacity, said city streets director Todd Waelterman.
"When you got to Big Bend and Skinker, those two signals can't handle any more volume," he said. "So people need to look for those alternate routes." Most schools and businesses are expected to be open tomorrow. MoDOT director Pete Rahn says the "veteran team" is ready for the volume to pick up.
"If you remember a year ago, the conversation was, well, it's not snowing now, but let's wait until it snows and that's going to be the problem," he said. "And school's not in yet, but wait until it starts. We went through a number of these cycles where we were going well, it's okay now, but just wait until this next event."