By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
Memorial Day is the unofficial start to summer as kids are out of school, vacations begin, and the weather starts to warm up.
Sergeant Shane Hux with Troop H of the Missouri Highway Patrol in St. Joseph says safety should always be people’s top priority as they travel this holiday
“There’s going to be more traffic out there, so traffic patterns are going to change,” Hux tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “Motorcycle traffic, people pulling boats, campers, RVs, and it’s just going to be clustered out there so keep in mind, planning is very important when it comes to your holiday travel plans.”
Hux says with many construction projects happening around the state, travelers should be aware of work zones as they drive.
“As busy as it’s going to be, there’s going to be a huge influx of traffic, so those construction zones are going to slow down,” Hux points out. “Expect some lane closures, reduced speed limits, and some traffic delays on your route.”
Hux advises travelers to buckle up and avoid driving distracted, reminding people of the new hands-free law in Missouri.
Water traffic might be down over the weekend, with a chance of rain, but sunny skies are expected on Monday, which could bring boat hauling traffic to the highways.
Hux says to make sure you properly secure your boat onto the trailer
“Use all the safety latches and then also secure the motor if it’s an outboard motor, make sure that’s secured,” Hux explains. “And then when you’re hooking that up to the vehicle, you’re going to be towing it with, make sure you utilize the safety chains, sway bars if you have those available, and also it’s very important to make sure the lights are working on the trailer.”
Hux says to remember your life jackets if you get out on the water, and to obey all speed limits on Missouri rivers.
A record number of travelers could be out on Missouri roadways this Memorial day holiday. Triple-A Missouri spokesman Nick Chabarria says the numbers are up again this year.
“950,000 Missourians will travel for the Memorial Day holiday period, similar to the national trends. That’s a 3% increase from where we were last year and 4% from where we were in 2019.”
He says the average price for a gallon of gas in Missouri is $2.81. He says that’s down about 40-cents from last year. He reminds drivers to get an early start to avoid traffic, especially in larger cities.
The Missouri Highway Patrol will be out in full force beginning at 6 o’clock tomorrow evening through midnight Monday.
-Missourinet contributed traveler numbers to this story
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.
