December 2019 — 3
ODOT/Winter Road Guide
Welcome to this year’s Winter Roadway Guide
Welcome, eastern Oregonians and visitors,
to another edition of the Oregon Department of
Transportation’s Winter Roadway Guide. The goal
of this annual publication is to improve safety for
travelers throughout our area by providing some
important reminders as well as updates on various
projects. We hope you fi nd the enclosed articles
about chaining up, sharing the road with plows,
driving in snowy conditions and more helpful. I
encourage you to share this publication with other
family members as Mother Nature serves up an-
other season of winter driving challenges.
More eyes on safety
I am very excited that this year we have
expanded our reach of the ODOT Winter Road-
way Guide to now include Umatilla, Wallowa and
Grant counties. In the past the publication typi-
cally was inserted in the La Grande Observer and
the Baker City Herald. This marks the fi rst time it
is also being supplied with the East Oregonian, the
Hermiston Herald, the Wallowa County Chieftain
and the Blue Mountain Eagle newspapers. I really
appreciate the EO Media Group for helping get
our winter safety messages to more readers. For
those who haven’t seen it before, I think you will
fi nd the information useful.
Highway construction
Many of the projects we construct are specifi -
cally designed to help keep you safe on the road,
especially in wintertime. In fact, we currently
have over $50 million committed to just three
winter safety related projects that have been on
our needs list for a long time. These include work
on the Wallowa Lake Highway, OR 82 at the
Minam Curve, plus two large Interstate 84 proj-
ects between Pendleton and Ladd Canyon, east of
La Grande. A lot of work was done this year and
all three contracts will be completed in 2020. In
addition, we constructed dozens of other projects
along the interstates and other routes throughout
the eastern region. You can read all about what
took place in 2019 and what we’ll be working on
in 2020 in this publication.
Safety reminder
Along with working on critical safety proj-
ects, our winter maintenance crew will be on the
highways day and night to remove snow and apply
deicer, sand and salt as needed to improve road
conditions. They’ll continue to use the new tools
we added over the past couple years, such as our
tow plows and dual wing plows that can clear two
freeway lanes at the same time.
These various projects and
winter maintenance operations are
only part of the safety equation: we
need you to do your part, as well.
Wintertime can be especially hazard-
ous with shorter daylight hours, ice,
snow, rain and fog that create a host
of driving challenges.
Please think about your travel
plans before heading out. Check TripCheck.com
for road and weather conditions, and see the links
to hundreds of highway cameras across the state.
Give yourself extra travel time. If conditions
are extreme, consider postponing the trip until the
weather improves. Heed the warnings and driving
tips enclosed in this publication and make sure
you’ve done everything possible to keep you and
your loved ones safe on the road.
In closing, I want to thank you for your con-
tinued commitment to safe driving as you enjoy
what beautiful eastern Oregon has to offer.
Wishing you a joyous, safe winter season,
Craig Sipp
Oregon Department of Transportation
Eastern Oregon Regional Manager