The INDEPENDENT, December 21, 2006
Check traffic at
Trip-Check.com
Bits & Bites
By Jacqueline Ramsay
Merry
Christ-
mas and
a Happy
N e w
Year to
all of you
near and
far. Oh
joy, I’ve
seen the white swan twice in
the past two weeks.
We now have added another
date to remember to our “cal-
endar of events” to mark the
passing of our times. Start
where you will: 1st always with
me is December 7, 1941; 2nd –
total freeze over of the Colum-
bia River at the Dalles, then the
Vanport flood, then the burning
of the mill, the flood of ‘96, and
now the power outage of De-
cember ‘06.
If you didn’t bother (because
of the cold) to attend the Christ-
mas program at Vernonia High
School (all grades), it is your
loss. It was the best ever. The
new band leader knows how to
get music out of your kids. You
parents should be proud. They
started together, stayed togeth-
By ODOT Staff
You’re stuck in traffic, rain is
pounding on the roof of your
car and your favorite radio per-
sonality is warning of conges-
tion ahead. Is there an acci-
dent? A lane closure or detour
you didn’t know about?
You crane your neck out the
driver’s-side window to see
what is slowing your commute,
and as the rain blurs your vision
and drenches your face, you
can wonder: “Why didn’t I visit
Trip-Check.com?”
Winter weather and un-
precedented levels of highway
construction, statewide, mean
drivers should be prepared.
The Oregon Department of
Transportation’s
TripCheck
web site provides motorists
with a one-stop site for Oregon
travel information.
TripCheck is more useful
than ever for motorists as con-
struction ramps up on Interstate
5, Interstate 84 and other major
routes across the state, mostly
due to ODOT’s $1.3 billion
OTIA III State Bridge Delivery
Program. The bridge program,
part of the agency’s 10-year, $3
billion Oregon Transportation
Investment Act, is repairing and
replacing hundreds of aging
bridges across the state. On I-5
alone, drivers will pass through
more than 20 active work
zones between Portland and
Medford in 2007.
At TripCheck.com, visitors
can access current construc-
tion updates, view the latest
road conditions via road cam-
eras, get winter travel updates,
and find tips on how to travel by
bus, rail or ride-share. Travel-
ers can easily access informa-
tion about construction zones
and approximate delay times
by simply passing their cursor
over an icon on a map. Alter-
nately, the 511 system, created
by the federal government in
2000, delivers traffic and
weather information directly to
callers over the phone.
“It’s a simple, easy-to-use
system that focuses on timely
information for Oregon travel-
ers,” said Galen McGill,
ODOT’s manager of intelligent
transportation systems, who
oversees TripCheck. “Because
of more active construction,
more people are checking
TripCheck in the summer than
Please see page 22
Page 11
Top; Vernonia Cares volunteers served meals at the Senior
Center Friday and offered a warm stop for any and all during
the recent storm. Below; one of the many services the Ver-
nonia Rural Fire Department Volunteers provided, during the
power outage, were medical generators.
Schann’s
Basket
er and finished together. The
entire evening I only heard two
or three split reeds. The last
number – bands combined with
the choral group – was perfect,
the band director couldn’t see
the choral director yet the tim-
ing was great. Thank you for an
enjoyable evening.
Many thanks to the Senior
Center and cooking crew that
jumped in and warmed our
hands and feet as well as the
cockles of our hearts and stom-
achs. Also, thanks to the Red
Cross, Fire Dept. and whoever
had free fire wood for those
that could use it, also to the
other businesses that opened
up for flashlights, batteries and
lamp oil.
Vernonia – though inconve-
nienced – is lucky. Beaverton, I
hear, had snow on December
18, Portland had ice and fog.
It’s been quite a year when
you think about it. But we did
survive, what next year brings
is only partly up to us but how
we react is totally up to us.
Smile and say “Gee, I won-
dered what was going to hap-
pen next.”
See you next year?
1st & 3rd Thursdays,
10am til the
eggs are gone,
inside
Black Bear Coffee Co.
831 Bridge St., Vernonia
Eggs ~ $2 dozen
VERNONIA INN
Enjoy a quiet weekend with us.
FULL SIZE, IN ROOM
HOT TUBS
Queen Beds • Private Bath • Separate Entrance
Cable TV • Phones • Handicapped Access
• Commercial Rates
FOR RESERVATIONS CALL
1-800-354-9494 / 503-429-4006
Gift Certificates Available
900 MADISON AVE., VERNONIA, OR 97064
Just one block off scenic Nehalem River Hwy. (Oregon 47)