EUGENE, Ore. -- Police put almost the entire force on snow patrol Monday, even assigning a detective to help respond to the 25 crashes within the Eugene city limits reported as of 4:15 p.m.

"They're grabbing anybody they have available to put into uniform to come out and help," said Dennis Doe with the Eugene Police Department. "People from graveyard got held over to help. We just need to free up some resources. To do that we need people to stay off the roads."

Not everybody stayed off the roads -- or on them.

At the corner of 27th and Jefferson, police responded to a crash between a City of Eugene Prius and a milk truck.

"This gentleman in the Prius, he tried to stop at the top of the hill and he slid all the way down the hill, screaming 'get out of the way,' " said Michael Delandsheer, who witnessed the crash.
    
And on Chambers in south Eugene, it only got worse.

"I was just coming up over the hill and tried to make it down and all of a sudden I did a 180," said Sherrie Randall. "And i'm out supposed to be selling Christmas trees."

The three car crash shut down the street from McClean to Lorane Highway.

CLOSURES | STORM BLOG | FORECAST | WEATHER CAMS | SHARE PHOTOS

Early morning mayhem

The mess started early this morning.

Two semis and two cars were involved in a traffic tie up that happened before 6 a.m. on the Interstate 5 onramp to Highway 58.

The result? A two-mile backup along I-5.

In Springfield at the City Center exit and Cue Street, a semi jack-knifed and started a chain reaction. One car after another slammed into the truck. All told, a half dozen cars were involved in this crash.
    
A few hours later on Beltline highway between Barger and Highway 99 (at right), another jack-knifed semi. Throw in a few more car crashes and the highway was closed for more than an hour.
   
And the Washingon-Jefferson Street Bridge is reopened now, but earlier a dozen vehicle piled trying to navigate the road.

At this point it doesn't appear that there were any serious injuries in any of today's crashes.

Traction, please

City, county and state sanding trucks started very early this morning all over our region. Crews used gravel and de-icing agents on bridges and roadways to try to keep drivers on the road.

Sanding crews are on alert for tomorrow morning when streets are expected to ice over.

No Parking: Snow and Ice Emergency

If you're parked on a major road in Eugene, you may want to put on your coat and go move your car. The city declared a snow emergency.

That means all vehicles must be removed from snow emergency routes. Those are collector streets, where neighborhood streets meet; major roads and highways; and bus routes. | MAP

Parked and stranded vehicles can be towed at the owner's expense.
    
Stuck at the airport

Going by air didn't allow travelers to avoid problems on the ground. One flight was cancelled at the Eugene Airport this morning -- not because of bad weather here, but because of conditions in San Francisco.

"I got here, delayed," said Dave Ridgeway, who was supposed to leave at 10 a.m. "3:25 I'm supposed to get out of here but that's delayed, and the next one is 6:02, so maybe. I don't know."

Some flights were delayed while crews de-iced the planes. Airport officials say you should check with your individual airline before you go to the airport. | FLIGHT INFO

Ice fights back

A tanker truck carrying de-icer rolled on I-205 in the Portland area. The driver was not hurt, but some of his chemical cargo spilled.

The truck's driver, Wallace Telford, 59, was slowing to pull to the right when the tanker trailers began to slide on the icy surface of the road.  The tankers left the road and rolled over disconnecting from the truck.  One of the two tankers was punctured and leaked calcium magnesium acetate.

Calcium magnesium acetate is used to deice roadways.  The spill was contained by the Metro Area Interagency HAZMAT Team and Clackamas County Fire Department.

Other agencies assisting included ODOT and Clackamas County Bureau of Water and Environmental Services.

All northbound lanes of travel were closed for approximately 30 minutes and the right northbound lane remained closed for over four hours.