The highway between Vale and Burns was closed after several slides hit U.S. Highway 20 on Sunday night, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation.
The slides are about 12 miles east of Juntura, between mileposts 189 and 203.
Tom Strandberg, public information officer with the transportation department, said in a Monday, June 12, interview that utility lines like fiber optics are down in the slide area.
Strandberg said the closure is expected to last several days.
“It will probably take a while to assess the situation and get an idea of how long it’s going to be closed, Strandberg said. “But we’re assuming right now it is going to be closed for several days at least.”
In the meantime, travelers could take alternate routes, which involve traveling on U.S. 26 to John Day and then south to Burns or via U.S. 95 through Jordan Valley to Burns Junction and then on Oregon Highway 78 to Burns.
Strandberg said U.S. Highway 20 sees roughly 1,800 travelers daily.
Meantime, Strandberg said the transportation agency plans to have crews working around the clock to open the highway. He said the landslide was up to 10 feet deep in some areas.
Strandberg said the transportation agency knew of three stranded people between the slide areas. He said it was too dark to tell if other vehicles were involved.
According to Strandberg, those three people were going to camp in the area until they could get out.
Scott Norton, the owner of the Oasis Cafe in Juntura, said in Monday that his hotel, with eight rooms, had 20 stranded travelers.
Granted, he said that they could turn west and take an alternate route through Burns and then go north through John Day, which, he said, is an up to four-hour delay.
The mudslide, Norton said, has impacted his business and at this time of year, the business should be humming.
“Right now,” he said, “we should be packed, but we’re not because the road is split.”
News tip? Contact reporter Steven Mitchell: [email protected].
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