U.S. Postal Service called off some deliveries on Tuesday

February 02, 2011|by meterologist Dave Snider, KY3 News | dsnider@ky3.com

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Shovels and plows were working overtime on Wednesday as the Ozarks digs out from the Blizzard of 2011.

The westbound lanes of Interstate 44 from Springfield to mile marker 11 (U.S. 71 south) in Joplin reopened at midmorning. That stretch of road was closed Tuesday evening, forcing many truckers and other motorists to spend the night in their vehicles, roadside motels, or at truck stops.

The Oklahoma Turnpike (I-44) is still closed because of snowdrifts, and may not reopen until Wednesday night or Thursday morning or later.

North of Springfield, the Missouri Department of Transportation sent two dozen extra trucks to Dallas, Hickory and Polk counties to clear off state roads. Snowplow drivers worked nonstop on Tuesday to keep main highways like Missouri 13 and U.S. 65 open.

Neighborhoods in Springfield and other cities and towns are still packed with snow. In Springfield, postal carriers are trying to work through the elements, after some couldn’t work some or all of their routes on Tuesday.

Postal carrier Craig Stephenson has a route in Springfield along the dreaded unplowed secondary roads that the city’s Public Works Department rarely plow because it doesn’t have enough crews and equipment.

Stephenson didn’t mind the ruts. Sure-footed, he made first tracks through the neighborhood, ensuring the mail would be delivered.

Stephenson said mounted, or carriers in vehicles, have a greater challenge. He said residents can help the mail get through.

“If they cleaned maybe five feet on either side to the concrete, to the base of the road, close to the box, then we wouldn't slide and we could get to the box without having to get out; but that's ideal,” he said.

Tuesday was a challenging day as well. The Postal Service’s local customer service manager, Greg Switzer, said an unusual call went out to carriers around 3 p.m. Tuesday. While carriers delivered about 90 percent of the mail on Tuesday, 16 of their trucks got stuck in the snow and safety became a concern, causing deliveries to be curtailed.

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