Multiple crashes shut down Tollgate highway
Published 4:45 pm Saturday, January 2, 2021
- The road near the Tollgate store was a parking lot as traffic backed up on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 2, 2021, due to multiple crashes and vehicles sliding off Highway 204 in a heavy snowfall.
TOLLGATE — Multiple vehicles crashing and sliding off the road on Highway 204 through Tollgate caused the road to be shut down Saturday, Jan. 2, the Oregon Department of Transportation reported.
According to the department’s TripCheck website, the first crash happened around 2:30 p.m., causing minimal delays. By 3:30 p.m., multiple crashes were reported and cars began sliding off and getting backed up in a traffic jam.
The highway was closed from the edge of Weston to the edge of Elgin around 3 p.m. in response to the crashes.
By 4 p.m., the highway at Tollgate had turned into a virtual parking lot as traffic began to get more and more congested. Traffic did appear to begin moving slowly shortly thereafter.
Wintry weather was causing low visibility, and heavy snowfall made for slick road conditions.
The Tollgate area, popular for its winter recreation, was expected to receive 8-12 inches of snow this weekend, according to the National Weather Service in Pendleton.
ODOT spokesperson Tom Strandberg said he didn’t have all of the details about the incident, but he said when the weather turns nasty in that area it’s common for the closures to last for several hours.
By evening, the roadway was open again, according to TripCheck.
