Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon and Washington have extended the deadline to remove studded tires. They must be off by Sunday, April 11th.

Oregon Department of Transportation spokesman Rick Little says the decision was prompted by winter-like weather conditions.

Rick Little:"The weather forecast changed a bit and it looked like these storms that were hitting us were gonna come in over a longer period of time and be just a little bit colder than what everybody had anticipated initially."

ODOT also heard from the public.

Rick Little: "The icy, snowy weather at the higher elevations is on the mind of the traveling public and they were concerned about the conditions."

The wintery weather caused numerous accidents and road closures Tuesday. According to ODOT, studded tires cause at least $11 million in damage to the state's roads each year.

Oregon motorists face a $190 fine if they donít remove them by April 11th. In Washington the fine is $124.