PORTLAND, Ore. — Beau Burns is from Alaska. He moved to Portland a few months ago and says people here react to snow and ice much differently than he’s used to.
“A little bit of ice and everybody freaks out,” said Burns as he waited for his bus.
That's why transportation crews are monitoring the weather around the clock.
"Both Skyline and Burnside, we did shut those down yesterday during the afternoon for a couple hours,” said John Brady, the Portland Bureau of Transportation Director of Communications.
He said PBOT crews used salt and were able to get those roads back open quickly. It was the first time this winter PBOT used salt.
“We used salt last winter. We did not use salt in December for the Christmas storm. But we did use it this time and it proved effective,” said Brady.
Last winter PBOT partnered with Seattle transportation crews and tested using salt. Over the spring and summer PBOT created a salt plan that laid out specific routes where salt would be used, mainly on Burnside, Germantown, Skyline, and the Mt. Scott area. Brady said they have tons of salt stockpiled just in case.
The Oregon Department of Transportation used salt for the first time this winter too. It was mostly used on I-5’s trouble spots.
“We applied in the most troublesome areas, like Breeze Hill, the bridge decks, stuff like that, that freeze over the fastest,” said Cory Hamilton, and ODOT District Manager.
He said typically ODOT will use magnesium chloride, a de-icer. But last night, the de-icer began to freeze. That’s when ODOT crews began applying the salt.
Whether or not agencies will continue using salt if more weather comes through, depends on what's best for conditions.
As for TriMet, things were relatively smooth on Monday morning, aside from three bus routes that were canceled due to slick roads.
“MAX traditionally does very well in the snow,” said TriMet Spokesperson Roberta Altstadt.
She said typically MAX trains may experience problems if freezing rain hits and ices up overhead wires. But she said that’s not what’s anticipated. TriMet has other heating equipment on the switches and trackway to help keep things clear if necessary.
For commuters who want to stay up to date on important information, check KGW’s social media platforms.
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This PBOT map shows the location of de-icing and plow trucks in real time