Parkway School Closed Thursday and Friday While Crews Continue Clearing Roads

Editor's note: Parkway School District has four snow days built into their calendar. A previous version of this story incorrectly reported the number of days.

UPDATED 9:15 p.m. Thursday:

The Parkway School District cancelled class Thursday and Friday due to the winter weather. Friday was the district's fourth snow day of this school year and the last snow day built into the school calendar so any additional snow days will have to be made up.

Click here to see Parkway's calendar of possible make-up days.

With snow hitting the St. Louis area hard, Manchester, Town and Country and Missouri Department of Transportation road crews are plowing Thursday.

MoDOT is warning drivers that the ramps at the Interstate 270 - Highway 40 interchange in Town and Country are slick so motorists are advised to be careful.

MoDOT Maintenance Engineer, Becky Allmeroth, said traffic issues weren't as bad as they could have been Thursday due to drivers heeding warnings and staying off the roads if possible. She said the plows have been running all night and morning, but battling the continuing snowfall. 

“Overall things have gone pretty well considering the large amount of snow that came through the area,” added Marie Elliott, community relations manager for MoDOT.

Elliott said one of the biggest challenges was the fact that snow “continued to come.”

“There was not really a stopping point,” Elliott said.

Although the snow has tapered off, crews are still working. According to Elliot, MoDOT has a full staff of employees clearing the roads in preparation for the evening rush hour.

Sgt. Al Nothum with Missouri State Highway Patrol said the highway patrol makes every possible officer available to work the interstates and highways when weather like this hits the area.

"We've already responded to over 600 calls of service since six-o-clock last night," Nothum explained. 

He said it's clear  that plows have been working Interstate 270 and Highway 40 throughout the night and morning.

"It's not bad traveling, it could be better, but if people take their time and drive slow and don't get in a hurry, they'll be fine," Nothum said.

Town and Country police said they've had numerous calls of cars sliding off the roads all morning long, while Manchester police report "so-so" road conditions, but no accident or slide-off calls Thursday morning.

The U.S. Postal Service is reminding people that the snow and ice make sidewalks and roads slippery and hazardous to postal carriers so residents are asked to clear walkways and steps. The postal service also says the area around mailboxes should be cleared and even recommends spreading sand or salt to make it safer for carriers.

Snow hit the area Wednesday night and continued through Thursday’s rush hour commute.

The National Weather Service reports 6 to 12 inches of snow fell across the area.

Click here for your local weather report.

Town and Country crews spent most of Wednesday gearing up for the upcoming snow event. They pretreated select locations such as high traffic areas, major roadways and specific potential hazard spots.

Manchester's Public Works Department allowed employees to leave at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday to get some rest before the snow hit so crews were ready to plow when the snow began.

The Missouri Department of Transportation prepared for days to help keep the roads as clear and safe as possible.

Overnight on Tuesday, plummeting temperatures dropped the road temperatures, raising the threat of freezing precipitation on roadways.

“Thursday morning might be very slick and messy,” MoDOT spokesperson Kara Price said.

MoDOT advised motorists to plan for these conditions and make alternate travel plans such as going into work later in the day or telecommuting.

“We know it’s not possible for everyone to alter their commute,” said Jack Wang of MoDOT. “If you have to make the commute, drive slower than you would if it was raining and allow extra time to reach your destination.”

According to Wang, crews pre-treated the roads with a salt brine and beet juice mixture. The beet juice helps the salt to better melt the snow and ice in cold temperatures.

"We started with about 30-thousand tons of salt and we're sitting right now at about 20-thousand, so we still have plenty of salt on hand," Allmeroth said.

MoDOT has more than 450 employees and 220 trucks available to plow and salt the roads in St. Louis. It is focusing first on plowing the highest-traveled interstates and regionally-significant roads, such as Manchester Road, until they are mostly clear.

Less-traveled roads will also be plowed with attention given to hills, curves and intersections.

“It’s important for drivers to watch out for our crews, too,” Wang said.

Motorists are encouraged to check out the online traveler information map at www.modot.org or call MoDOT’s 24-hour toll-free customer service center at 1-888-ASK-MoDOT before traveling.

Snow Removal Procedures for Town and Country and Manchester:

Town and Country-

The city of Town and Country contracted with MT Specialty Contracting and T. Hill Contracting to plow and salt the major roads and residential streets in Town and Country during snows this winter.  The Public Works Department staff will supervise the contracted operation very closely.

Snow removal is scheduled and prioritized to complete the major roads first and then the local residential streets.  Steep hills and intersections are given high priority.

Residents are asked to take the following precautions during snow storms:

• When bad weather is expected do not park on the street.
• Trustees should see that horse barricades are removed from private streets during winter months, and gates placed in the open position when it starts snowing.
• Stay clear of the snow removal equipment and remain at least 100 feet back when following them.

*Town and Country residents are asked to report extra slick areas on streets, or heavy snow that may have drifted in your area, to the Police Department at 314-432-1000.

Manchester-

The Public Works Department's priority is to remove snow from primary streets, which consist of snow routes, major thoroughfares and collector streets. Snow route streets are designated with white-on-blue "Snow Route" signs posted at regular intervals. Parking is prohibited on snow routes during snow removal.

Side streets and cul-de-sacs are second on the list to be cleared.

The city of Manchester's goal is to have all city-maintained streets passable within four hours of the end of a storm.

Residents are responsible for removing the ridges of snow in driveways created by city plows. City officials caution residents that it may take several runs to plow all snow to the curb so additional snow may be plowed across the end of a driveway after a resident's initial snow removal.

Residents are asked to take the following precautions during snow storms:

• Arrange ahead of time for someone to shovel your sidewalk and driveway. 
• Park your vehicle off of the street, if possible, when snow is anticipated. 
• Keep mailboxes and posts in good condition to withstand the impact of snow from the plows. The city will only fix mailboxes that are struck by its snow removal equipment.

*To report snow problems call the Public Works Department at 636-227-1385, extension 104 during normal working hours or extension 137 at all other times. 

St. Louis County- 

Much of the land around Manchester and Town and Country is unincorporated St. Louis County. St. Louis County road crews also have snow removal plans in place.

Click here for a run down of county plans.

Residents can contact the St. Louis County Department of Highway & Traffic Operations with questions on its 24- hour dispatch phone line (314) 615-1111 or by e-mail.