Oregon Public Broadcasting

Road conditions throughout the state remain slick following Sunday’s snow storm but some areas are better off than others.  Pete Springer reports.

Oregon Department of Transportation officials lifted a requirement for chains   on all vehicles traveling in the Portland metro area.

Dave Thompson is a spokeman for ODOT.

Dave Thompson “We’ve been out all night treating the snowpack with chemical de-icer and sand where appropriate.  And that’s helped cut up some of the pack. It hasn’t done the complete job on all highways.  But, for instance, I-84 and I-5 are almost bare pavement.”

But Thompson says roads over Mt. Hood still require chains. 

And I-84 between Pendleton and La Grande will likely continue to face periodic closures due to blowing snow.

Thompson says hundreds of O-DOT workers will continue to work 12-hour shifts to clear roads, but adds that once the temperatures dip into the lower teens, their de-icers don’t work very well.

Temperatures are not expected to rise above freezing in the Portland area for most of the rest of the week.