PORTLAND – After a week of wildfire road closures in Oregon, travelers should still plan their routes carefully. Fires are still burning actively near many highways, causing repeated closures and reopenings without warning. As the long, hot summer continues, wildfire disruptions are expected to continue across the state, leaving some routes impassable. (Photo – The Darke Fire burns along Interstate 84 in eastern Oregon Wednesday.
If you must travel, try to plan your route away from wildfires. Trip Check Check the latest road conditions before you set off. TripCheck provides 24-hour live updates from our dispatch center, and updates as soon as road conditions change.
Here are some important tips for traveling during wildfire season:
- Use designated detours: Follow official detour signs and routes provided by traffic authorities. Don’t follow GPS directions onto local or forest roads, which are often not suitable for interstate traffic. If a highway is closed, nearby local roads may be closed as well.
- Prepare for a power outage: Power outages are common in wildfire affected areas, so treat non-functioning traffic lights as four-way stops and be aware that roadside message boards and TripCheck cameras may not work.
- Carry an emergency kit: The Oregon Department of Emergency Management These supplies Please store it in your car before you leave.
- Driving safely in smoke: Driving in smoky conditions is similar to driving in heavy fog: Slow down, maintain a steady pace, and stay alert. Use your headlights to increase visibility.
- Stay home if possible: The safest place to wait until the road reopens is at home – do not travel to the closure and wait there as it may last for hours or days.
For more information on the current fires, National Joint Fire Centre website.
