PORTLAND, Ore. — TriMet and Portland Bureau of Transportation officials said crews were working tirelessly Wednesday morning to get the city's roads back open and MAX lines back up and running — but they cautioned roads are still dangerous following Tuesday's freezing rain that left a thick layer of ice on everything, echoing warnings they'd issued in advance of the storm.
"It will defeat anyone," TriMet spokesperson Tyler Graf said Tuesday, "whether you have four-wheel drive or snow chains or other devices."
Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) crews have been at work since Friday to plow and salt the roads and lay down deicer, especially on emergency service roadways. But the layer of ice deposited Tuesday night will still make things dangerous, and city officials warned residents Tuesday afternoon to stay home and consider public transit for essential travel.
TriMet buses can be equipped with heavy-duty chains to bite into the ice, and the agency announced Wednesday morning that most of its bus routes were up and running, but all were chained and therefore limited to 25 mph. Some lines still have adjustments to get around trouble spots, the agency said. Riders should check trimet.org/alerts for service information and expect delays.
TriMet restored service on most of the MAX Blue Line Tuesday for the first time since Saturday's storm knocked the whole light rail system offline, but the other four lines remained suspended, and TriMet announced at around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday that the Blue Line had shut down again due to rapidly deteriorating conditions. All lines remained suspended as of noon Wednesday. The agency said it was prioritizing reopening the Blue Line first, but didn't yet have a time estimate.
The Portland Streetcar ended all service for the day at around 5 p.m. Tuesday, but said late Wednesday morning that the NS Line would start running by noon, although there was no timeline to restart the A and B Loops. The Portland Aerial Tram ran all night Tuesday.
TriMet crew worker Randy Palmer said he and his coworkers were out all day Tuesday, clearing the rails by melting or shoveling out the snow and ice. Crews have also been working to keep ice from re-forming along the line.
"We keep the trains moving," he said, while working near the Goose Hollow station. "They started moving today as far as I know. I know a few places where they were stuck, and we've been doing just the same thing at other locations just to get the trains back to the train yards."
TriMet reiterated that it will not turn away anyone who needs a ride to a warming shelter, even if they can't pay the fare.