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45 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, November 13, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 7, 2004 Since You Asked Warnings will assist Siskiyou Pass route I was one of the hundreds of people stuck on Siskiyou Pass during that blizzard on Dec. 28, and I read the recent Mail Tribune article on how Oregon and California agencies met to discuss the event. We were driving north on I-5, we checked the weather and called the Oregon Department of Transportation emergency line, and were clear to go. When we got to the top, however, we found traffic stopped. Are there plans by ODOT to add ways to warn drivers before they start up the mountain? — Paul G., Eagle Point Sorry you were stuck there, Paul; what an ordeal! According to ODOT District Manager John Vial, the high traffic volume and the way the blizzard hit were unusual. Advertisement One of the changes in winter weather policy, he said, will be that if officials see the weather starting to deteriorate, they’ll go ahead and shut down the pass (rather than wait until traffic comes to a standstill). There is a reader board before Exit 11 in Oregon to tell southbound traffic the pass is closed, but northbound traffic coming from California doesn’t have a permanent reader board yet, said Vial. ODOT plans to put portable reader boards (for weather and road closure updates) in place in California for northbound traffic, so drivers can get off the freeway at the mile post 1 exit if the pass is closed. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities