Home for the Holidays

Just in time for busy Thanksgiving travel, Amtrak's Missouri River Runner is adding a third coach to Train 316, the evening eastbound train, from Kansas City to St. Louis, Nov. 16-27.

The added coach will help with seating for holiday travelers, as more are expected for the Thanksgiving holiday. Last year, ridership was up 17 percent in November from the previous year.

For more information, visit www.morail.org.

Do you have any stories about your train travel in Missouri! Please share your Missouri River Runner memories in the comments.

Your Focus Could Be Rewarded

Focusing on your driving rewards you in many ways. Besides avoiding a costly ticket, it's your ticket to arrive alive, safe and sound.

Right now, you could also be rewarded with a new Ford Focus.

The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety has teamed up with KRCG-TV and Joe Machens Ford to sponsor "Focus on the Road" which includes a chance to win a new 2012 Ford Focus.

To enter, visit the "Focus on the Road MO" fan page on Facebook before midnight on Dec. 14. The drawing is open to all licensed Missouri drivers. The winner will be announced Monday, Dec. 19 when 13 finalists will try their key in the new car to find the winner. 

No matter who wins the car, paying attention while you drive will help make sure you're around to have a safe and happy holiday season.

Troubled Waters

Find flooding detour information at www.modot.org/flooding.

Flooding and detours continue in Northwest Missouri. Eleven weeks after Interstate 29 first closed, it still remains closed at Rock Port.

The four states affected by long-term flooding continue to work together to route travelers around the high water. Missouri has partnered with Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska to create a regional detour that can be found on MoDOT's website at www.modot.org/flooding. It also provides information on the latest road closures with a link to the Traveler Information Map.

It will take time to get these roads back in shape, but MoDOT monitors the roads as water recedes to assess damage and begin repairs.

If these routes are part of your holiday weekend travels, be sure to check the detours before you go. And play it safe! Drive sober, buckle up and slow down.

A Winter Wonderland

It seems a white Christmas is on the way for Missouri!

While my children are thrilled, I have to admit I'd prefer clear, dry weather for our family and the many families traveling this weekend. I'm glad to know MoDOT has been monitoring weather conditions all week and is ready for action even before the wintry mixes begin.

What's it like at MoDOT when that winter wonderland becomes a reality? Check out our post from last week - many employees will be working over the holiday to make sure the roads are treated and plowed, and we hope you'll let us know how we're doing.

In the meantime, it seems Santa has been cleared by the FAA for travel, and the reindeer of course have their secret weapon with Rudolph. The winter wonderland outside shouldn't keep Santa from getting around safely, and MoDOT will be out there doing everything possible to make sure your family has safe travels as well.

Learn more about the safest way to drive in winter weather at http://www.modot.org/newsandinfo/District0News.shtml?action=displaySSI&newsId=63601.

Be Thankful for Safe Travel

Like many other Missourians, my family and I will be traveling Wednesday to visit our family for Thanksgiving. Also like your family, we have traditions that must be upheld – the bountiful food of course (and not a chicken casserole like my mom tried to pass off as the Thanksgiving meal one year), and sharing what we are thankful for before the big meal this Thursday. Although there are many things I can list, I am most thankful that we will all be together. And while that may seem obvious, for 280 Missouri families it is not the case – their family members died last year as a result of impaired driving crashes.

Impaired driving continues to be a grave problem in Missouri and around the country leaving a human toll of lost lives, grief-stricken family and friends, injuries and disabilities that never go away. Over the last five years in Missouri, 1,348 people have been killed in impaired driving crashes and thousands more injured.

And the days between Thanksgiving and Christmas can be an especially dangerous time of year on the roads. Between the two holidays in 2009, 88 people died in traffic crashes in Missouri (21 were alcohol-related) and 4,650 were injured (with 343 related to alcohol).

Some contend that those drinking and driving are simply hurting and killing themselves, but a substantial number of people killed or injured in these crashes are innocent victims. In fact, 31 percent of the fatalities and 40 percent of the injuries occurred to some other party involved in the crash – not the drinking driver or pedestrian.

So what can we do? Each of us can take the responsibility to drive sober, call a cab or designate a driver while celebrating this holiday season and urge all our friends and family to do the same. If you’ve had a personal experience with an impaired driving crash, you can share it with others on a special remembrance page at facebook.com/humantoll in hopes that more education will help others to not drive impaired and other families will be spared such tragedies.

When you get to your Thanksgiving meal this year, be thankful you got there safely and let’s all work together to Arrive Alive.

Traveler Information Map Makes Trip to Grandma's House Easier

Well the weather outside is...great actually. Unseasonably warm, kind of sunny. But if you’ve lived in Missouri for a while, you know that trend can turn on a dime.

On Christmas Day things are supposed to get soggy. Snow and other precipitation are forecast for some parts of the state. If you’re going to be on the road for the holidays, give yourself a little stocking stuffer and visit MoDOT’s Traveler Information Map before you leave your house.

Most of you who follow this blog have heard me go on and on about our award-winning, nationally recognized, super cool online road conditions map -- so this message is repetitive. But if you know anyone from out-of-state (or who’s not as web savvy as you) please tell them about it.

The Traveler Information Map gives up-to-the minute road conditions for all major routes MoDOT maintains. It gives you a good idea of what waits for you ahead and can even help you decide whether you should travel or wait a bit.

So, while your trip to Grandma’s may be easy (except for the kids fighting in the back seat), your return journey may be wet, cold and a bit slick. Make sure you know what’s in front of you by visiting www.modot.org and clicking on the big state map in the middle of the page.