PENDLETON — Crews from Oregon Department of Transportation will conduct occasional rolling slowdowns at various locations between Pendleton and La Grande during the next two months to accommodate the installation of new variable message reader boards over Interstate 84.

According to a ODOT press release, the first slowdowns will take place around 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 14, in the eastbound lanes between milepost 200 west of Pendleton and milepost 221 near the top of Cabbage Hill, and again on May 18, May 20 and May 22. The traffic control maneuvers will continue through the month of May in the eastbound lane at the same or other locations. Similar operations will take place in late May through June for the westbound freeway, according to the press release. 

Delays of 30 minutes or more should be expected, so motorists are encouraged to plan extra travel time and drive with cautions through work zones.

During the rolling slowdowns pilot cars will slow traffic to 30 mph along a 20-mile section of freeway ahead of the project location, creating a short window of time at the construction site with no traffic and allowing crews to safely work on and over the freeway.

Eastbound freeway on ramps at exits 202, 207, 209, 210, 213 and 216 will be temporarily closed in the slowdown zone until the pilot car traffic passes the interchange. Freeway off ramps are not impacted. Several different work areas between Exit 216 and La Grande will require rolling slowdown operations over the next two months. Exiting variable message boards along the freeway will announce the slowdowns and reminders about the project are posted on TripCheck.com.

The work is part of ODOT’s I-84 Pendleton-La Grande Snow Zone Safety Improvement Project that is installing about a dozen digital sign boards, cameras, lighting, road/weather sensors, a new freeway ramp gate and other features that will help keep motorists safe while driving through the area. The signs will be linked to road sensors and issue warnings about hazards such as snow, ice, fog, traffic delays or reduced speeds ahead. Local cities, counties, tribes, the trucking industry, and emergency service providers gave input during the development phase of this key safety program. The $15.6 million project began last year and will be completed before winter.