PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) -
Icy roads set up a tricky commute for drivers in the Portland metro area Friday morning.
There were 45 crashes in Portland from midnight to 7 a.m., plus several more in Washington County and southwest Washington.
A school bus driver in Sherwood slid off Bell Road and crashed into a ditch. There were no injuries to the three children on board.
Abbi Russell, a spokeswoman for the Washington State Department of Transportation, said de-icer trucks had already hit the roads to treat them by 6 a.m. The I-5 corridor appeared to be one of the area's trickiest spots.
"There are some slick conditions. We've had several collisions over the course of the morning," she said. "You really have to be very careful and take it slow."
Meanwhile, Oregon State Police said there were multiple non-injury crashes on I-5 in the Salem and Brooks area. Police reported slick conditions on on-ramps and off-ramps, and they recommend reducing speeds and increasing following distance.
Don Hamilton, a spokesman for ODOT, said de-icing can help in these situations.
"You always have to be careful when there's rain coming down because it washes the de-icer off the road, but this is the kind of condition where the de-icer can help and should last for a couple of days once it's out there," Hamilton said.
In addition to slick roads, it was also a very foggy morning in the metro area.
The conditions led dozens of school districts to call for a two-hour delay.
CHECK: School closings
Copyright 2013 KPTV-KPDX Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved.
