Slick C.O. roads bring many crashes, slide-offs

Central Oregon quickly transformed into a winter wonderland, but while it’s pretty to look at, it can be deadly to drive in.

And there were major problems in many areas on Monday as folks went back to work.

“It’s really slippery out there,” said Bend resident Debbie Molnar.

“I stayed inside as much as I could. When I absolutely had to I just put on the chains,” said Bend resident Leif Fossmo.

First came the snow – 1 to 2 feet in places – then the bitter cold under clearing skies. Monday brought traffic woes and crashes across the High Desert, keeping police and medics scrambling from one incident to another.

One of the worst spots, as was often the case, was on Highway 97 south of Bend near Lava Butte, where the rising road is akin to a mountain pass, but deceptively so. Three crashes, including an apparent head-on collision near the High Desert Museum, occurred within minutes in the late afternoon set the stage for a slick evening commute as temperatures dropped fast and partly thawed roadways refroze.

Traffic backed up at many locations, especially around Bend as cars slipped and slid, some off the roads, encountering on their way home.

Earlier Monday, a head-on crash on the Powell Butte Highway near Riggs Road in Crook County around 11 a.m. sent a Prineville couple to St. Charles Redmond, where they were listed in fair condition late in the day.

Sheriff’s Sgt. James Savage said Elise Snyder, 75, was heading north with husband Keith, 80, in their 2004 Chevy Trailblazer when she lost control of the SUV. It crossed the center line, striking a Ford F-150, a Central Electric Cooperative work vehicle whose driver, Ronald Smuin, 44, also of Prineville, was unhurt.

The crash sent the CEC pickup about 200 feet down the road, having crashed into a metal fence, and left the Snyders trapped in their heavily damaged SUV. No citations were issued, Savage said, but the crash remains under investigation.

In just two days, Bend saw almost a foot of snow, keeping city workers busy. Other areas saw even more, up to two feet.

“With our size, we’ve got around 7,000 segments of roads, 830 or so lane-miles. So there are a lot of streets,” said David Abbas, director of right of way operations with Bend Public Works.

It was too many streets to clean up for the city of Bend to deal with on its own. They called in reinforcements over the weekend.

“The contractors really focus on the residential areas, whereas us city crews really focus on the downtown corridor,” said Abbas.

Salt is not being used because it is too corrosive, though magnesium chloride is used as an anti-icing sprayed on roads before the storm.

“It’s a chloride, which is a sprayed liquid. It’s a good tool in the toolbox. It’s got a lower freeze point, it helps it from adhering to the road surface as much as it could,” said Abbas.

The warmer weather is helping the melting process.

“They’re getting better but it’s a little messy,” said Bend resident Justin Eddins.

In Redmond, city officials say they will close SW Sixth Street downtown to through traffic for road and sidewalk snow removal Tuesday at 6 p.m. from Black Butte to Forest, through the night to 6 a.m. Wednesday, with a detour in place..Officials said they worked 24 hours a day from Thursday to Sunday to clear and sand streets, though there remains icy layers on some streets and intersections that can’t be plowed.

The city plows streets in a pre-determined priority order (main roadways, roads to schools and hospitals etc.). This is outlined in the Snow and Ice Removal Plan available at http://www.redmond.or.us/government/departments/public-works/transportation-division/snow-and-ice-operations

For Central Oregonians, normal driving conditions cannot come back soon enough.

“I wish it was bare pavement, but it’s not. Maybe by Thursday,” said Bend resident Suzi Thomason.