Highways closed; flood warnings issued

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December 29, 2008

By Sanne Specht

The Mail Tribune

Travelers should be alert for highway closures caused by downed trees in snowy areas and possible flooding in the southern coastal regions, say Oregon Department of Transportation officials.

Highways 62 and 230 were closed this weekend as crews worked through the night removing fallen and leaning trees.

A 12-mile stretch of Highway 62 between Prospect and Union Creek closed at about 11 a.m. Saturday, reopening shortly after 1 p.m. on Sunday, said Jared Castle, ODOT spokesman.

At around 3 p.m., officials closed Highway 230 between highways 62 and 138 as heavy snow and ice pushed down trees around the Crater Lake area.

"Rain froze on the trees and pushed them down," Castle said.

Crews must remove trees that have fallen into the travel lanes and those that are leaning over the road in a dangerous way, he explained. Contract tree fallers worked Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning on Highway 62 to clear hazard trees from the highway. They then set to work Sunday on Highway 230, said ODOT District Manager Jarry Marmon.

"We've had 36 inches of snow on Highway 230 in the last 24 hours," Marmon said.

Officials will evaluate conditions this morning and announce by noon if the roads would reopen, Castle said. Motorists are advised to use alternate routes, including Oregon Highway 138E, which connects Interstate 5 to U.S. Highway 97 through Roseburg.

Castle warned of possible flooding for those traveling in the southern coastal regions on Highways 199, 42 and 38 — particularly around Curry and Coos counties — as steady rains, expected to continue, could flood low-lying sections of the highways. A winter weather advisory for areas around Crater Lake, Diamond Lake and Union Creek was set to go into effect at 4 p.m. Sunday as another cold front moved inland. Between 8 and 16 inches of snow are expected by mid-morning today at elevations above 4,500 feet in the south-central Oregon Cascades, the National Weather Service forecast said.

The Weather Service has issued flood warnings for Lane, Coos and Curry counties and flood advisories for 16 other counties in Oregon and southwest Washington.

The flood warning covers urban areas and small streams near the coast affected by snow runoff and heavy rainfall, which is likely to continue through this morning. A flood warning means flooding is imminent or has been reported.

Forecasters said heavy rain was bringing the Siuslaw River near Mapleton to near flood stage Sunday.

Extensive road and farmland flooding from the South Fork of the Coquille River was expected above and below Myrtle Point. The Weather Service says flash flooding is unlikely.

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 776-4497 or e-mail sspecht@mailtribune.com.

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