TROUTDALE, Ore. — A person was hit and killed by a semi-truck on Interstate 84, about one mile west of Rooster Rock State Park Tuesday morning. Icy road conditions were reported in the Columbia River Gorge.
The Oregon Department of Transportation closed I-84 in both directions between Troutdale and Hood River for several hours, but the freeway has since reopened.
The eastbound lanes were closed from about 5:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Deputies with the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) were responding to a non-injury crash in the eastbound lanes of I-84 when they were notified of a second crash at the same location just after 5 a.m.
According to a preliminary investigation, a person was standing outside an SUV when a semi hit them and the SUV. The person associated with the SUV died. MCSO didn't clarify if the person was the driver or a passenger, and deputies have not identified them.
Shortly after, MSCO said another semi crashed into the scene. The drivers of the two semi trucks were not injured and they're cooperating with the investigation.
A preliminary investigation conducted by the East County Vehicular Crimes Team suggests that weather conditions may have been a contributing factor in the crash because the road was covered in a thin layer of ice.
More icy conditions expected
Oregon Department of Transportation spokesperson Don Hamilton said icy road conditions will be a concern for Columbia River Gorge drivers in the coming days, with inclement weather incoming.
"Anybody who is planning holiday travels over the coming holiday weekend needs to plan ahead, that means know where you’re going, know what your travel plan looks like, check the trip check cameras to know what your destination looks like, and allow extra travel time," Hamilton said.
Hamilton said ODOT's salt trucks, de-icer trucks and sanding trucks are ready to treat the roads during dangerous weather on Thursday, Friday, and on into the weekend.
“Everybody should be watching the forecast very, very carefully," he said. "If you can plan ahead and leave before the storm hits, that’s always a very wise decision.”
On the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge, crashes closed State Route 14 to freight traffic at different points Tuesday, something that may happen again this week.
"Slowing down for the conditions, you can’t expect to drive 55 mph in weather conditions like this," said Washington Department of Transportation spokesperson Tamara Greenwell.
Greenwell said the forecasted weather may be difficult to manage if temperatures are at or just below freezing.
"There’s a very difficult transition point where we’re working to get the de-icer down but we don’t want that de-icer to be washed off by the rain that’s coming or traffic that’s on the roadway," she said. "But then there’s a period when it start to freeze."
An incoming storm, she said, paired with a much-anticipated holiday weekend, will create difficult conditions for drivers.
For the latest reports on road closure and conditions in Oregon, visit TripCheck.com.
For up-to-date road closure and conditions in Washington state, visit wsdot.com.