Highway 97 closes for first time in decades

Northcentral Oregon's main thoroughfare closed twice last weekend due to heavy snow and ice accumulation, the first time this major highway has seen a prolonged closure in decades.

Oregon Department of Transportation officials, with input from local EMS and sheriff's agencies, made the decision to shut down traffic on Highway 97 from Biggs to Madras on Saturday, Jan. 20, at about 10 p.m. The highway reopened to traffic Sunday at 11 a.m.

The area had accumulated more than a foot of snow in places during the week prior, followed by periods of sleet and freezing rain over the weekend.

By Sunday morning, most of the region looked like a vast skating rink. Sunday afternoon brought more rain, followed by freezing temps at nightfall, coating the road in another sheet of ice and prompting officials at 8 p.m. to close the highway for the second night in a row, this time from Biggs to the junction with Highway 197 at about milepost 67.

Highway 97 opened again Monday morning about 10 a.m. Road crews were out in force all weekend plowing and laying sand, while EMS crews assisted disabled vehicles.

Temps Monday climbed just above freezing, melting the roadways but leading to new hazards of falling ice, snow sheets, tree limbs and rocks. Pacific Power customers from Grass Valley to Kent experienced an electrical outage for most of the day Monday.

Sherman County Emergency Services Director Dana Pursley Haner said this was one of the most intense experiences for Sherman EMS in recent memory. She especially wanted to thank EMS volunteer and firefighter Bryan Cranston of Moro for his assistance.

"Bryan Cranston was a lifesaver," she said. "In all my years doing this, this was the first time I was nervous being in the field. We couldn't even get through to assist Gilliam County EMS on I-84."

She said the Moro chief Scott Belshe believes the last time this highway was closed due to weather was 1988 or 1989.

Sherman County Deputy Kyle Burnett said shutting down Highway 97 was necessary.

"I believe people were going to continue to put themselves in dangerous situations if they did not shut it down," Burnett said. "Regardless of people's experience in those conditions, you have to rely on every other driver to do the right thing at the right time to ensure your own safety."

ODOT Assistant District Manager Scott Peters of Wasco said his crews have been working around the clock to clear roads, pulling 12-hour shifts for days on end.

Crews are mostly responsible for plowing, clearing ice and laying down sand, gravel or cinder material, especially on corners and hills. He said they laid down 3,000 yards of sand over the course of the week. They also apply magnesium chloride or "liquid salt" when possible, but once temps drop below 20 degrees, the de-icer becomes increasingly less effective.

Peters said closing the highway was a collaborative decision, made mostly by crews locally who were assessing the conditions on the ground.

"It's a collective effort. You want all the information out there, taking into account the impact of the decision, especially with freight," Peters said, referring to the financial impact a main highway closure will have on businesses needing to move their goods. "It's not done lightly, obviously."

But Peters said the highway effectively closed itself, as even emergency responders were unable to travel on the ice.

He added there's always an issue with drivers from down south coming upon winter conditions, not fully prepared and not stopping to chain up, for a variety of reasons - some drivers weren't issued chains by their companies, or they carried chains but didn't know how to mount them.

"We've got drivers getting out in flip-flops and shorts asking, 'What do you want me to do?'" Peters said.

Sherman County Sheriff Brad Lohrey said this was definitely the first time in his 27 year career that Highway 97 was shut down so long. There may have been brief shutdowns to clear accident scenes, "but never a complete shutdown from Biggs to Madras in a complete 24 hour period, never," he said.

Lohrey said no citations were issued to drivers who seemed to ignore the road closure.

"Nobody got any citations, but it's really hard to write a citation when it's not physically blocked," he said. The highway was simply marked "closed" with signage, the penalty for which would be failure to obey a traffic control device, with a fine of about $265.

"We did write a bunch of citations for violation of the basic rule, which is speed too fast for conditions," he said.

He added deputies and troopers with Oregon State Police already had their hands full, anyway, just responding to traffic emergencies.

"At one time we had at least 35 trucks spun out, jackknifed or in the ditch between Biggs and Shaniko," Lohrey said.

Both Lohrey and Peters with ODOT say their next concern is the snowpack thawing too rapidly, leading to mud, flooding and falling rock, which is unfortunately common in Biggs Canyon up to about milepost 4, as well as several other rocky canyons on the north end of the county.

Lohrey said Highway 97 is one of the busiest in the state, but is ranked a lower priority than nearby interstates such as I-84.

"ODOT did an amazing job with the resources that they have," Lohrey said. "I think our governor has severely limited them on resources for Highway 97."