Monday morning’s commute was a slick one for many drivers in the Portland metro area. In some spots, it was the first time ice was a factor, during what’s been a relatively warm, dry season.
But as temperatures begin to drop, officials with the Oregon Department of Transportation say drivers need to be ready for road conditions to change very suddenly.
“Ice, black ice can sneak up on you,” said ODOT spokesman, Don Hamilton. “You won't even notice it until you hit it.”
Early Monday morning, two semi-trucks collided in icy conditions on the Newberg-Dundee Bypass. Both drivers, Andres Resendez, 52, of Sheridan, and Daniel Green, 45, of Winlock, Washington, were killed.
In Washington County, deputies warned of icy roads and multiple crashes on the Tualitan Valley Highway and SW 17th Ave.
Hamilton said maintenance operators are checking for where they can lay down deicer, which they can do up to four days before a storm.
“You almost have to be careful with deicer because it'll wash off the road if it starts to rain and that's not worth tax payers’ money,” said Hamilton. “It's more art than it is science.”
In case of snow or ice, Hamilton said ODOT will be ready with plows, sand and yes—salt.
“We're going to be seeing it used state-wide,” he said.