Local officials queried Missouri Department of Transportation Area Engineer Jeff Niemeyer over the possibility of mutual aid agreements with city and county governments during a winter weather operations meeting Monday morning in Warrenton.

While Niemeyer, who is the area engineer for the Northeast District, made no promises, he did say he would consult with his superiors regarding the possibility for such agreements.

Niemeyer was present Monday to meet with a number of local officials at the Warren County Administration Building regarding winter weather preparedness for the county.

Niemeyer laid out the basic plan for winter storm plowing with primary and secondary roads. First priority is roads such as the interstates and higher volume highways such as I-70. Secondary priority would be I-70 outer roads, Highway 19, Highway 94 and the Missouri letter routes.

Wright City Mayor Michelle Heiliger then asked Niemeyer if with current MoDOT staffing if they would be able to get past the first priority roads in a winter weather situation. Niemeyer responded that clearing the priority roads would initially take all the staff he has. Heiliger then asked what the plan would be to handle the secondary roads, specifically asking if it would be part of the plan to reach out to local municipalities for help.

Heiliger said the concern was the same one local officials have every winter season, which is when the interstate is shut down motorists will have to traverse the service roads and she wanted to know a plan from MoDOT on how to handle that situation. Heiliger said local officials are seeing the interstate shut down now when there is no snow, so she wanted to know how will the situation get resolved in a winter weather incident.

Warren County Sheriff Department Captain Kevin Talir asked Niemeyer if MoDOT subcontracts work out to cities. Talir said in years past MoDOT only had so many staff available and the focus was solely on clearing the interstate during a major snowstorm. Talir noted that local law enforcement is already rerouting drivers off the interstate onto the service roads in accident situations.

“That is going to be a huge issue when the snow starts coming down,” Talir said.

Presiding Commissioner Joe Gildehaus asked if there was a way to get a plow truck or two in addition to help. Marthasville Fire Protection District Chief Sean Johnson asked if MoDOT would be bringing in team members from other parts of the state to help with plowing along I-70. Niemeyer responded that would be part of their plan.

Heiliger said that MoDOT is under a microscope locally and she highly encouraged the state to come up with a plan before the weather hits. She said every year local leaders hear the same plan from MoDOT, but with the current widening project on I-70, the situation is different from previous years.

Warren County Emergency Management Director Mike Thornton said when he worked in Oklahoma local entities had agreements with the state’s transportation agency to assist in these types of scenarios

Wright City Fire Protection District Chief Ron MacKnight reiterated the need for an agreement for local entities to handle the letter roads and service roads while MoDOT focuses on the interstate.

Niemeyer told those in attendance he would look into the possibility of mutual aid agreements with local entities to help MoDOT plow state highways in the county. He said he believes he could turn any agreements around in a week.

Warrenton Public Works Director Guy Gevers said that the service roads need to be plowed as the snow is coming down, they cannot wait until the interstate is cleared in order to clear the service roads.

Wright City Alderman Ramiz Hakim said MoDOT needs to lead local officials.

“You are speaking in theory, but we are speaking in reality,” Hakim said, speaking of local officials' knowledge of the issues in the local area.

After some further discussion Niemeyer said he was not familiar with mutual aid agreements, but he would reach out to his superiors and come back with something for local leaders within a week.