Oregon Department of Transportation

Crews clean up landslide on closed highway east of Astoria

December 1, 2022 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Crews are working to clear debris from a landslide that has closed part of a highway near Astoria in northwestern Oregon.

The Oregon Department of Transportation said it has removed a commercial truck that was caught in the rubble but that it still needs to be towed.

Oregon faces snow-plow driver shortage heading into winter

November 24, 2022 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A shortage of snow plow drivers has made clearing the roads in Oregon a challenge, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation.

The agency has almost 40 vacancies for seasonal and permanent positions on its road maintenance team in the eastern part of the state, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.

I-84 near Oregon, Idaho border back open after fire closures

September 2, 2022 GMT

ONTARIO, Ore. (AP) — A wildfire closed Interstate 84 in both directions Thursday afternoon near the Oregon and Idaho border, causing traffic backups for miles.

Oregon Department of Transportation officials said the interstate’s eastbound lanes were closed 6 miles east of Pendleton and into Ontario and the westbound lanes were closed between Ontario and Baker City.

Interstate 84 closed in eastern Oregon due to wildfire smoke

June 29, 2022 GMT

ONTARIO, Ore. (AP) — Transportation officials said Tuesday evening that Interstate 84 is closed near the border of Oregon and Idaho because of wildfire smoke.

The Oregon Department of Transportation said the interstate was closed westbound in Ontario and eastbound in Baker City because of smoke from a wildfire.

I-84 reopens in Columbia River Gorge after crash, fuel spill

June 27, 2022 GMT

TROUTDALE, Ore. (AP) — State transportation officials closed Interstate 84 Monday between Troutdale and The Dalles in Oregon along the Columbia River for hours Monday because of a crash that resulted in a fire and fuel spill.

Family of man whose car crashed off bridge into river sues

February 16, 2022 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The family of a Portland, Oregon, man whose car slid off the Glenn Jackson Bridge and plunged into the Columbia River during a winter storm is suing the Oregon Department of Transportation for $12 million.

Storm: Travel could become treacherous as snow, rain persist

January 6, 2022 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A man in northwest Washington was stuck and killed by a snowplow and authorities urged people not to travel in some areas of Washington and Oregon as winter storms continue throughout the region.

Heavy snow closes roads in WA, OR, shuts off power

January 4, 2022 GMT

PENDLETON, Ore. (AP) — Heavy snow and high winds forced officials to close dozens of state roads in Oregon on Monday and shut Interstate 84 through the Columbia River Gorge, while blowing snow also closed Interstate 90 over the Cascade Mountains in Washington.

Snow shuts parts of interstates in southern, eastern Oregon

December 16, 2021 GMT

ASHLAND, Ore. (AP) — Authorities have closed southbound Interstate 5 at Ashland in southern Oregon because of blizzard conditions, heavy snow and disabled vehicles.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the Oregon Department of Transportation said late Wednesday afternoon that there was no estimated time for the freeway’s southbound lanes to reopen.

Auditors: ODOT can learn from missteps in wildfire logging

October 21, 2021 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon Department of Transportation can learn from its challenging experience overseeing the biggest wildfire cleanup job in state history, according to Oregon Secretary of State auditors.

Commission grants conditional approval to I-5 proposal

September 10, 2021 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon Transportation Commission has granted conditional approval to a plan to expand Interstate 5 through Portland’s Rose Quarter as well as build a cap over the freeway to allow for the redevelopment of a Black community destroyed when the interstate was first built.

Brown supports Portland I-5 highway expansion proposal

August 4, 2021 GMT

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon Gov. Kate Brown supports moving forward with a plan that would expand Interstate 5 through Portland’s Rose Quarter while spending more than $1 billion to build a “cap” over the freeway to rebuild a community wrecked by its initial construction.

Expert: State hazard tree removal program working

June 8, 2021 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An independent forester hired to do a hasty review of the state’s controversial hazard tree removal program has concluded that 96% of the 2,200 trees he recently examined were appropriately marked for removal.

Arborist hired after outcry about excessive tree cutting

May 18, 2021 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon is hiring a Pacific Northwest-based arborist to review the state’s removal of trees in wildfire burn areas after recent concerns that the operation has been hasty and excessive.

State spices up road arsenal

Dylan DarlingJanuary 10, 2018 GMT

The brutal ice storm that ravaged parts of Lane County in December 2016 has prompted the Oregon Department of Transportation to add road salt to its highway-clearing arsenal in the county.

But it will take the perfect winter storm, the kind that brings heavy freezing rain or packed snow, before state road crews sprinkle salt on the stretch of Interstate 5 in the county, ODOT transportation maintenance manager Kevin Finch said Tuesday in announcing the new strategy.

ODOT: Scottsburg Bridge unstable, in need of emergency repair

Ian CampbellApril 14, 2017 GMT

A structural analysis of the Scottsburg Bridge found that one of the bridge's main steel supports was damaged, making the bridge unstable and unable to hold the weight of any traffic.

The bridge was damaged by a semitrailer that crashed into it Wednesday afternoon, forcing the state to shut down Highway 38 through the weekend.