A D V E R T I S E M E N T
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
ADVERTISEMENTS
<< Prev. Page 1 | 2
“Yeah, it wasn’t as big a deal the second time around,” he said.
• As if staff needed a jolt from any routine, workers at Legacy Emanuel were hit with a scheduled fire drill in the middle of the night Sunday — nobody had thought to call off the event.
• Buses, cars, planes and even MAX trains have been stalled all over the city, but one much-maligned mode of transportation came through: the aerial tram.
The tram, which extends from a streetcar stop in South Waterfront up to OHSU, helped the hospital keep running through the worst of the snow. With buses unable to make the trip up to Marquam Hill, OHSU kept the tram running until midnight so that patients and staff could get up to the hospital and back down the hill again.
“People (were) just so ecstatic to have at least one portion of their journey that didn’t take an hour or two,” said tram General Manager Mike Commissaris. “We just had a doctor from OHSU give us about 400 Christmas cookies. We don’t know what we’re going to do with all of them.”
• Most stores — especially outside the downtown core — either stayed closed or suffered a dramatic drop in business. But Bellagio’s Pizza in Goose Hollow was jam-packed with to-go orders every day since the storm started. Orders were out the door in an hour or two, even with fewer drivers on the job.
“We tell them we’ll get it there when we can,” said Kelly Haskell, a delivery driver. “People tend to be pretty patient; they know it’s better than nothing.”
• Tire shops also found the storm a boon to business, with snow tires and chains on everybody’s wish list.
“This was our best month ever in the shop’s 13 years,” said Mike McMillen owner of Affordable Tire and Brake Company on Southeast Hawthorne Street. “Everybody’s pretty happy and inundated.”
• TriMet cut back its bus service by Tuesday to just 27 routes maintained by the Oregon and Portland transportation departments. Major streets such as Sandy and Barbur boulevards were plowed, but most residential streets remained impassable to all but the most intrepid drivers.
Two MAX light rail lines were shut down — the Yellow Line between the Lloyd Center and the Expo Center along North Interstate Avenue and the Red Line between the Gateway Transit Mall and Portland International Airport. TriMet officials blamed frozen switch mechanisms that customarily allow trains to transfer between the lines.
• The Portland Office of Transportation estimates that clean-up costs could run about $1 million, which could deplete the city’s emergency reserve fund.
• Tony Lester, Multnomah County bridge maintenance supervisor, fielded a call Monday afternoon about a piece of rail hanging off the side of the Broadway Bridge. It was the third time in three days a motorist tore off a bridge railing by running into it.
At 1:15 a.m. Saturday, a taxi knocked out a rail on the Burnside Bridge. A little while later, a Vancouver motorist heading west on the Belmont ramp of the Morrison Bridge realized he was going the wrong way, hit his brakes and lost control of his car. The car propelled past the rail and landed 40 feet below on the sidewalk, upside down.
The man was later spotted by police, apparently unscathed.
<< Prev. Page 1 | 2
One much-maligned mode of transportation came through: the aerial tram.
It better work we only paid 57 million plus operating cost for a Project that started out at 3 to 5 million then to 9 million.
I drove every day in my much-maligned car, with chains and never got stuck. My daughter tried transit only to be told buses were canceled and call me and my car to save her. I don't think the tram could have done that.
If we spent $57 million on keeping the roads open everyone could drive and all the could have got to where they had to be.
The tram what a joke
(email verified)
Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 07:25 AM
Please note, dear reader, that TriMet officials described their system as "spectacularly successful" during the storm. How arrogant and ignorant is that? Would the opinion of the folks who waited for red and yellow line trains that failed almost immediately agree with that assessment? Would George Passadore agree? Could it be that they tried to provide service in the face of insurmountable odds? To use the term "spectacularly successful" indicates that these folks spent their time indoors somewhere and really have no clue. Who the hell hires these people? I live in the Pearl and the only time Streetcar failed was when a TriMet bus with no chains blocked the tracks.
(email verified)
Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 10:18 AM
The days won't be business as usual.
Some will gripe that everything didn't run as smoothly as in 60-degree weather.
I'm thankful for a space-heated apartment and the tremendous effort put forth by so many to make the city as normal as possible.
This is a good time to reflect on how good we have it.
Seeing all the kiddos bundled up and traveling on sleds or their parents' shoulders and papooses.
Coffee and hot chocolate never tasted so good in Florida or Southern California.
Viva Portland!
(email verified)
Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 12:27 AM
No name's comments as well as insider comments hit the nail on the head.
(email verified)
Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 01:57 AM
Who the hell hires these people? I live in the Pearl
Dear "insider"
AHH, you!
(email verified)
Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 08:58 AM
Tri-Met said proudly that they were providing service. A lot of people who tried to get somewhere based on that promise got passed over and over by buses crammed too full to take more passengers. When frostbite threatens to set in from waiting too long at an icebound bus stop, that isn't "providing service".
(email verified)
Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 12:48 PM
I was there 40 years ago, and remember that winter well. December 25, 1968 brought us a green Christmas. Then on December 27th, we had a foot of snow.
Another day that has a history is January 10th. In 1979, we lived in a little house on NE 77th & Broadway. It was right adjacent to I-84 (I-80-N at the time), and we had no protection from the east wind. That is why we had an inch of ice on the east side of the house.
Portland had another ice storm on January 10, 1980. January 10, 1981 was nothing special.
Ahhhh--calendar journalism!
(email verified)
Sun, Dec 28, 2008 at 01:38 PM
Find a paper
Enter a street name
or a 5 digit zip code
Browse archive
The Oregon City News
News feed
Facebook
Digg
Del.icio.us
Newsvine
Stumbleupon
Reddit
Re: Snapshots from the storm that wouldn’t stop
Local skiers and snowboarders have been taking advantage of the snow around Laurelhurst Park, sliding down the middle of the streets, they don't have to go anywhere else---just step outside and put their skis on...
"sixpack6t9"
(email verified)
Wed, Dec 24, 2008 at 04:33 AM