Highway 20 west of Philomath was closed for about 4 hours early Friday morning because of icy conditions that led to a low-speed crash involving two semi-trucks.
Deputy Justin Bowers of the Benton County Sheriff’s Office said he received no report of any injuries.
“One was going very slow and another truck couldn’t get stopped in time and ran into his,” Bowers said. “Mainly, it (the highway) was shut down for that long because of the ice.”
The incident occurred about 9 miles west of Philomath near Highway 20’s milepost 42, which is situated close to Lilly Hill Road a couple of miles east of Blodgett.
During the closure, sanding material was put on the highway. The Oregon Department of Transportation reported that the highway closed just before 3 a.m. and reopened at approximately 6:50 a.m.
Despite this incident, Bowers said the sheriff’s department as of 7:45 a.m. was having a quiet morning with no large volume of ice-related calls.