drive from des moines to kirksville in January?

[LonghorninSA]

Hey guys,

I'm from the South and haven't seen snow in 20 + years. I have an interview @ KCOM and I looked at flight options and found it's economically best to fly to Des Moines and drive to Kirksville. Is it possible to do this with the winters up there? I know there's an I-35 route that's probably safe, but there's also some state Hwys that provide a shorter path.
Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks.

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[Obnoxious Dad]

If you are coming from Texas, I'd fly into Kansas City on Southwest and then rent a car. From KC go north on I-35 to Cameron, Take US 36 east to Macon, MO and then take US 63 north to Kirksville. Most of the trip will be on divided highways and it would cover 190 miles.

If you want to go through Des Moines, I'd take I-35 south to Iowa 2 and go east to US 63 and go south on US 63 to Kirksville. This trip would be about 170 miles on the road but only the I-35 portion is on divided highway. YOU ARE 15 TIMES SAFER ON DIVIDED HIGHWAYS THAN ON TWO LANE BLACKTOP. Remember that data point when you pick a route! This is especially true when there is the potential for snow and ice.

Good Luck.

 

[00686]

I live in Des Moines and was supposed to interview at Kirksville tomorrow but have canceled because of acceptance to DMU. The drive will take you at least 2.5 hours. We have had a lot of snow and ice recently that has made the roads a bit slick at times. The highway crews have done a pretty good job cleaning it up though. Unless it is going to save your hundreds of $$$ I wouldn't recommend driving from DSM. Any I-35 route is by far NOT the shortest or most direct. You'd be best taking Highway 163 SE from DSM to a town called Ottumwa and then head S from there. 163 is a nice four-lane highway but from Ottumwa, it is all two-laned roads. This should take about 2.5 hours but I would imagine the I-35 route would take a bit longer. Hope this helps!

 

[EhCdnGirl]

I had this exact same situation last winter in January and it was fine. The weather wasn't fantastic, but what I did was arrive mid-day in Des Moines and drove to Kirksville first for my interview the next day and then drove right after my interview up to Des Moines for the interview there the next day. It was fine...you can always leave a bit early (I did) to make sure you don't have to drive in the dark. I had company which helped, but it is totaly do-able.