respublica

Images from downtown Steelville

Steelville Missouri is not a big town, maybe 1400 or so people, but it is a hub for floating the rivers nearby. There are a few interesting stores on the main drag and we went into a couple on our way back from church in St. James Missouri.

One is the Lange General Store, a place filled to the brim with fun things of every variety. We've been in there before and always find something to buy, including great candy from large glass jars.

Also a real meat market with great looking and tasting, cuts of meat, roasts, chops, ribs etc. It is named the Singing Butcher Shop for reasons we haven't been privy too, but twice now we have bought great meat.

There are places to browse as well.

 

Highway droppings

There has been lull in mattresses and ladders falling onto St. Louis roadways. We haven't had any since September 16 when the number stood at mattresses 52 and ladders 62. But, just to keep us interested, Lance Hildebrand, traffic reporter for Y98, has started keeping track of cars with expired temporary license plates. This is kind of common practice in Missouri, many drivers aren't all that interested in getting permanent plates. So far the oldest seen had an expiration date of 11/17/17. There are a lot of expired tags in the St. Louis area. Charlie Brennan of KMOX gets on an expired temporary plate kick quite often. There must not be much enforcement.

Actually, I am often behind cars with expired temporary plates while in St. Louis.

A yearly reminder

With the darkness coming earlier and earlier, this is a good day to remind St. Louis area drivers that other states have much better lane lines. I keep hoping MoDOT will get with the system some day.

Tennessee roads we were on a couple of years ago.

Packing them in

Lots of news about Missouri's opening up business and resorts today. The main news report we've seen over and over this morning is all the people packed together in pools and bars and restaurants in the Ozarks. Actually a pool may be a fairly safe place, they are chlorinated and in the sun. But who knows.

I would like to understand just what makes so many people think it is a good idea to head for these places on the first weekend they open and a Memorial Day holiday weekend as well. Do they not realize how many people they will brush up against at this time? It's hot and sunny which is good, they say, for killing the virus. But it won't kill the virus if it's on someone you are right next to in these crowds.

I don't get it. But I would like to think everything will be ok and we don't see a future spike in the Coronavirus.

Taking on MoDOT

This is one of those news stories that made me stop and cheer. It's about time. "A state lawmaker from eastern Missouri is criticizing what he calls the state Department of Transportation’s (MoDOT’s) incompetence, for its handling of the Veterans Day winter storm."  State Rep, NIck Schoer of O'Fallon wants MoDOT to examine how other states handle snow, including the chemicals they’re using. Schroer says the agency wasn’t ready for the storm.

If you remember that cold, wet, icy, snowy burst of winter weather during afternoon rush hour, you'll remember how many accidents and hours it took for drivers to get home. Meanwhile, those drivers heading east related that when they finally got into Illinois they found the roads very drive-able. And yet, MoDOT responds to Schoer's comments with all kinds of excuses and talk of how much they did.

I've said the same thing as Rep Schoer for some years. It only takes living in Missouri for a bit to realize MoDOT does not get its roads free of ice and snow like Illinois does and, probably many other states. On this blog I've practically begged MoDOT to go over to the Collinsville IDOT headquarters and learn what they do to the winter roads that Missouri does not.

Here is a post I wrote on just this issue from the past February.

Asking the Road Crew again

Each Monday the Post Dispatch normally runs a column called, "Ask the Road Crew" in which readers can ask for answers about various issues on local roads. Today a question came from someone wanting to know if MoDOT will ever re-stripe the highway lanes so that they don't disappear in the dark or in rain.

I've been obsessed with this issue for some years and mentioned it on this blog. Here is the answer from Andrew Gates of MoDOT: "Our crews are currently working on re-striping around the area. The significant amount of rainfall that we have had prevents them from making much progress much progress as they might like as quickly as they would prefer. We place reflective beads in the paint to help them reflect lights at night. However, rain is often as reflective as those beads, so you can often lose the stripes in the rain. Plows and chemicals used during snow fighting an also have a damaging effect on beads and stripes. We do have reflective markers that we have inlaid into the pavement on several roadways that are intended to help improve seeing the lanes during inclement weather. We are continuing to add those around the region as we resurface roadways."

Ok. This does not make me optimistic that MoDOT's roads will have the lanes show up any better. This bead business seems like more problems. Why does MoDOT not check with other states which have brilliantly bright nighttime lane lines? In Illinois the lanes don't disappear even though they may not be as bright as places light Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland and other states we've driven through at night.

Here is Tennessee at night. Even the guard rails are illuminated with a great paint.

Here is a link to a short video I took out in Virginia near DC/Maryland. What are they doing that Missouri will not do? I am always so amazed at the states which use a bright lane paint that I take pictures. The difference compared to Missouri is shocking.

Road work musing

Yesterday I drove over to Collinsville for the first time since IDOT closed two lanes on the east end of the Poplar. I've driven since they've started, but it's always been on a Sunday or Saturday when no work was being done. The traffic was jammed up from the middle of the bridge to the east end of downtown East St. Louis. There were only two open lanes and they were on the left side of the bridge so I got into the left most lane along the separation wall.  The lane to my right was filled with big semi's.

This jam eventually had to move into just one lane (the left) where the actual work was being done at the east end of ESTL. I was so glad I chose the left lane on the bridge so I didn't have to deal with all the big trucks trying to move over at the end.

However, I have to say, for whatever reason the traffic moved through that area. Not fast, it was a slow crawl but it was moving. IDOT has a way of doing highway work so much better than MoDOT. The difference between how the two do things is very obvious.

Another weekend another road closure

Crossing into Missouri from Illinois will get even harder this weekend. MoDOT will be closing 2 miles of I-44 between the Musial bridge and the point where it meets 55. The options for drivers wanting to go west on 44 will be to take 64 and get off at one of the surface streets which lead back to 44. This means the Poplar stands a good chance of getting really backed up. It's bad enough on normal week days and weekends when so many drivers head to the lane leading to 44 that the whole thing slows down.

Now many more cars and trucks will be jockeying for a spot on 64 west on that bridge, probably backing up as they try to get off at Jefferson or some other street. We can only hope IDOT decides to take off the Labor Day weekend and stops work on the eastbound lanes to the Poplar.

I'd say if you're in Illinois this weekend, stay there. Unfortunately we will not have that choice and need to be going back and forth several times. Katie is here for her high school reunion which has things going on Friday and Saturday. Dale is preaching in Troy on Sunday. Keeping fingers crossed there won't be a huge amount of traffic through the holiday.

Organized for ontime flights

A wide ranging group of Missouri people have organized a group named, Citizens for Ontime Flights.

"We are dedicated to promoting more efficient air travel. The status quo in aviation is simply unacceptable. Every day thousands of flights are delayed, millions of gallons of fuel wasted and billions of dollars lost because the government has systematically failed to update the nation’s air traffic control system. We cannot continue to run the air traffic control system the same way it has been since the 1950s and expect different results. Join our effort to modernize air traffic control. "

It seems obvious this should have been done long ago. Who knew we are still in the 50's as far as air traffic control is concerned. No wonder things are so many airports are a mess.

A shocking flood map

MoDOT put out an interactive map with red circles signifying Missouri roads and highways with flooding or possible flooding. It's amazing to see. 

This link takes you to the interactive map where you can click individual circles and see the location.