PORTLAND, Ore. -- A tree fell onto eastbound lanes of Highway 26, temporarily closing down the freeway Monday evening.
The tree--which measures about 1.5 feet in diameter--fell onto the roadway between the Zoo exit and the Vista Ridge tunnel just before 8 p.m., according to Portland Police. A driver hit the tree, causing damage to the undercarriage of the car, but the driver wasn't hurt.
An ODOT camera in the area showed a truck full of people who stopped on the freeway moments after the tree fell, and they helped to trim up the tree so that it wasn't hanging over the freeway barrier into westbound lanes. An ODOT dispatcher said the people had voluntarily stopped to help out.
All eastbound lanes of the freeway were shut down while the Portland Fire Bureau checked for hazards and while ODOT crews removed the tree. Traffic was moving again at around 8:45 p.m.
ODOT said it's not yet known why the tree fell.
