Dozens of roads in Missouri are already closed due to flooding, and the Transportation Department is warning drivers more rain is on the way. Repeated rainfall has saturated much of Missouri and the remnants of Tropical Storm Bill will bring even more through Friday, especially in the southeastern two-thirds of Missouri.
The Transportation Department is warning drivers not to cross flooded roads. (photo courtesy; National Weather Service)
Department spokeswoman Linda Wilson Horn wants drivers in Missouri to avoid high water.
“The bottom line when there’s a flooded road is turn around, don’t drown,” Horn told Missourinet. “Do not drive through any kind of standing water or especially moving water. If a road is closed, please turn around and find an alternate route.”
Maintenance Engineer Becky Allmeroth says water over the road could be hiding pavement damage.
“If that water has been going over the road for a couple of hours or so it could have deteriorated the sub-base of the road. There might not even be a road there anymore,” said Allmeroth. “Even if you think it’s shallow, we’ve even seen a couple of inches of water where people are trying to drive through it and it will just flood out their car.”
Allmeroth says the advice against driving through water over the road doesn’t only apply to small cars.
“It really doesn’t. If you watch the news, especially the last couple of days, some of the water rescues that they’ve had to do, we’ve seen some pickup trucks that have been in those situations,” said Allmeroth.
The Department maintains an interactive map of road closings and asks those who know of a closing not on it to call law enforcement. Find that map here.
