126 Passable But Not Recommended
The Oregon Department of Transportation has reopened highway 126 to Eugene. However, ODOT spokesperson David House says the while the roads are mostly cleared bad weather is still forecast and they recommend that travelers stay put for at least two more days. As it stands ODOT anticipates about 20 minute delays in certain areas along the stretch between the tunnel and Veneta with equipment still working on clearing debris. Highway 36 from Swiss Home to Triangle Lake is still closed in both directions. Additional weather related issues include the closing of Mapleton Schools today. The threat of rain and freezing rain and road conditions have prompted the closure. ODOT is reporting that severe weather continues to be an issue through the mountainous areas today and Interstate 5 is still experiencing ice and snow. Officials say if you must travel figure in extra time to get to your destination and check road conditions by calling 511 or visiting tripcheck.com.
Chamber Drawing
The Florence Area Chamber of Commerce is consistently working on building the tourism traffic to Florence. The latest is a drawing for a two-night stay at the Driftwood Shores Conference Center and Resort. The drawing is open to the public. Chamber President and CEO Betting Hannigan says the drawing comes with the two-night stay and a $50 certificate to the resort Market and Dine-in Deli. You can register by using the qr code the link posted below. https://bit.ly/2NightsinFlorence
Gas Prices
Gas Prices continue their downward trend for another week in Oregon. All but one of the local stations has dipped below the $3.00 mark with the average price of a gallon of regular gas around $2.89 a gallon. Prices in Florence have gone down more that 10 cents in the last week with AAA reporting that Lane County averages are around $3.36 a gallon. Low demand and winter weather is considered the major contributor to the decrease in prices and they should stay low for several more weeks and may not see significant increases until Spring.