A fallen tree and downed power lines blocking Parson Road have finally been cleared and the road is open, according to Washington County Land Use and Transportation.
"We’ve had a cluster of calls this evening throughout our response area and our crews have noticed that ice has began to form on roadways and walking areas," Forest Grove Fire & Rescue said Sunday evening.
Fern Hill Road has reopened, Washington County Land Use and Transportation said Tuesday.
Closed since Friday after floodwaters overtook the roadway and a driver and their car became trapped in floodwaters, needing rescue, it was the second such closure this rainy season.
Overnight winds brough trees down on area roads, littering Highways 26 and 6 with debris and taking out power for Portland General Electric and West Oregon Electric Co-op customers throughout the region. Highway 6 remained closed in Tillamook County Thursday morning.
For the first time this season, the gates at Fern Hill Road are up, blocking access to a popular route for Forest Grove commuters trying to get to the east side of the county.
Heading to Banks from Gales Creek? Take a different route while a fallen tree is cleared from Highway 6 west of Banks. Check Tripcheck for live traffic updates.
Oregon Department of Transportation workers and vehicles briefly clogged bridge traffic Friday morning on Highway 6 in Gales Creek to repair a damaged guardrail (This story also details the current state of the bridge, built in 1956).
Highway 6 was back down to one lane Thursday morning. "With similar and further sinking this morning, we expect to flag traffic until the lane can be stabilized, and the surface repaired," ODOT said in a statement. "This means the lane closure may last beyond today."
Both lanes of Highway 6 at milepost 35 are fully open, a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Transportation said in an email to this newspaper at 3:45 p.m.
Highway 6, down to one lane since early Wednesday morning after the westbound lane at milepost 35 dropped several inches is expected to be fully reopened by 2 p.m. Wednesday, an ODOT spokesperson said.
Highway 6 is reduced to one lane at milepost 35 according to the Washington County Sheriffs Office for what the Oregon Department of Transportation described as a sunken grade.
