An emergency declared due to flooding in portions of Missouri has been extended through May 14.
Initially enacted on Monday, April 5, the emergency provided an allowance for heavier-than-normal truckloads of rock, sand and gravel on Missouri highways. Private and for-hire motor carriers assisting with flood relief, levees and other public infrastructure flood repair are allowed to haul up to 10% more than their licensed weight for the duration of this emergency.
While the overweight waiver is in effect:
- Drivers must obey posted bridge weight limits.
- Drivers must restrict vehicle speed to no more than 30 mph when crossing a bridge.
- Travel under this allowance is allowed only on non-interstate highways.
- Those taking advantage of the weight allowance cannot operate on any portion of the interstate highway system.
The latest traveler information across Missouri can be found online.
Real-time traffic updates nationwide are available on this Land Line resources page.
Gov. Mike Kehoe has requested federal assistance for 26 Missouri counties affected by severe weather in late March and early April.
“Missouri has repeatedly been hit hard by severe storms, tornadoes and flooding this year, and the result has been widespread damage and destruction of homes, private property and public infrastructure,” Kehoe said. “Local and state government are working hard at recovery. The cost of these efforts – often because of repeated damage in the same counties – is beyond the capacity of local communities and the state to bear in full.”
According to a news release, damage assessments conducted by FEMA, SEMA, U.S. Small Business Administration and local officials estimate over $25 million in emergency response costs and damage to public infrastructure.
Missouri residents in need of assistance are encouraged to contact United Way (2-1-1) or the American Red Cross (800-733-2767). Additional resources and disaster recovery information can be accessed at recovery.mo.gov. LL
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