PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — On Thursday, we’re looking at potential snow and freezing rain. Slippery roads can make it hard to slow down. Of course, you can get chains for your tires, but you can also take this piece of advice from the Portland Bureau of Transportation.
“The city of Portland’s snow and ice plan has been relatively consistent for about 20 years, in that we ask the public for your first step to be avoiding travel,” said Dylan Rivera, a spokesperson with PBOT.
And if you are out and about while it’s snowy and icy, “You need to find a place to, for many people, find a safe, legal place to store your vehicle, but potentially overnight. Get yourself safely to public transit,” he said.
When it comes to public transit, TriMet is making sure their trains can withstand the weather.
So TriMet does plan to run MAX trains overnight and by running the trains overnight, it helps keep the overhead wires clear of ice,” said Tia York, a spokesperson with TriMet. “We’re also chaining up about 10 buses at each garage, and this is just as a precaution so that those buses are ready to roll in the morning should the snow or ice start to fall earlier than expected.”
While it’s recommended to stay at home, PBOT has about 50,000 gallons of liquid de-icer on hand and is working overtime to keep the roads as safe as possible.
The Oregon Department of Transportation is treating streets as well.
“Our crews were out treating the interstate along with historical trouble spots, including bridges, overpasses, onramps, that kind of thing,” said Ryan McCrary, a spokesperson for ODOT.
