Public Works crews made good progress Friday clearing 20 roads that were blocked by downed trees and limbs. Some roads remain blocked tonight because power lines are either down on the road or intermingled with down trees or limbs. Public Works will not remove those trees until EWEB has completed its work.
Many trees remain unstable. Several trees failed while crews were working nearby, including Coburg Road near Martin Luther King Boulevard and Cheshire Avenue. Crews are expected to get to Coburg Road on Saturday and get the road fully opened. The weather forecast looks to remain very cold and it is expected that more trees will fail. The public is advised to continue to use extreme caution around trees.
The ice-snow emergency remains in effect due to the unsafe conditions. During ice-snow emergencies, on street parking on priority transportation routes is banned. The ban allows emergency vehicles to travel safely on roadways to respond to emergency situations. Public works crews need access to this space to better manage the debris and clear the road. Getting parked cars off the street is a vital part of this emergency declaration.
Current road closures due to tree failures include:
- Lorane Highway near Filmore
- Lorane Highway at Storey/Friendly intersection (partially blocked)
- 2400 block of Fox Hollow
- Cheshire Street through Skinner Butte Park
- McLean and Chambers
- Dillard at Garnet
- Barber Blvd from Old Dillard to South Shasta
- Kimberly at Dogwood
- 34th Avenue and High Street
- 3000 block of Elmira
- 2200 block of Agate
- 1800 block of Spring Blvd
- 2300 block of Spring Blvd
- 2500 Block of Floral Hill
- 1800 block of 17th Avenue
- 2800 block of Spring Blvd
Public Works would like to remind citizens to keep private tree storm debris out of the street. Public Works is charged with addressing publicly owned tree failures and when private tree debris becomes comingled it slows tree clearing down throughout the city.
Egan Warming Centers remain activated for December 16 and 17. The centers are a coalition that comes together to ensure that homeless people in Lane County have a warm and safe place to sleep when temperatures drop below 30 degrees between November 15th and March 31st. For the full list of sites that will be active please visit the Egan Warming center website: http://www.eganwarmingcenter.com/
The Red Cross has opened a shelter for people affected by the outages and in need of a warm and safe place to stay.
The shelter will open at 5 p.m. and will be located at:
Spencer Butte Middle School
500 E 43rd Ave, Eugene, OR 97405
Individuals and families affected by power outages and in need of shelter assistance are encouraged to simply show up at the shelter for help. Community members may call 541-682-5900 for additional information on the shelter.