String of crashes close Century Drive, the snowy road to Mt. Bachelor, now open again

(Update: Comments from someone involved in crashes)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A string of crashes on slick, snow-covered Cascade Lakes Highway closed the road to Mt. Bachelor for over an hour Saturday morning, reports indicated.

Authorities and witnesses said several cars slid into each other on the Cascade Lakes Highway (state Highway 372) near milepost 13.

ODOT reported the road was closed about 10:30 a.m. two miles east of Wanoga Sno-Park and about 10 miles from the resort, busy on a pre-holiday weekend after recent snowfall.

Mt. Bachelor advised that traffic to and from the resort was diverted through Sunriver during the closure, which ended later in the morning. Follow ODOT's TripCheck traffic updates here.

There was no word regarding any injuries from the string of crashes.

One of the motorists involved in the pileup, Kelly Simoneau, told NewsChannel 21 that "many or even most vehicles involved had four-wheel-drive and/or winter or studded tires."

Simoneau said it happened in an area of "packed snow with glare ice on top, and there was absolutely no sanding or cinders on the road. Vehicles were just sliding uncontrollably and into each other, even while driving very carefully and slowly."

"It took way too long" to get ODOT to sand or close the road, she claimed, adding, "It is very lucky that no one was hurt."

ODOT reported sub-freezing temperatures and black ice in some areas at the time, with vehicles required to carry chains or traction tires.

Mt. Bachelor reported more than 10 inches of snow in 24 hours, for a five-foot base depth and more snow in the forecast.