Overturned milk tanker closes I-84 west of La Grande for seven hours

An overturned milk tanker shut westbound Interstate 84 west of La Grande for seven hours Wednesday, blocking both lanes at milepost 259 and forcing freight and commuter traffic to stop in Union County. Oregon State Police cited the driver, an Idaho man, after the truck struck the right shoulder barriers, rolled onto its side and spilled milk across the roadway.

The crash happened around 1:15 p.m. west of La Grande and also sparked a grass fire, turning a single rollover into a multi-agency response. The Union County Sheriff’s Office, La Grande Police Department, La Grande Fire, La Grande Rural Fire and the Oregon Department of Transportation all helped manage the scene while crews dealt with the spill, fire risk, traffic control and cleanup.

No one was injured, but the closure quickly reached far beyond the crash site. Interstate 84 is the main east-west freight route through Union County, and a westbound shutdown near La Grande can stall deliveries, commute traffic and commercial trucks moving between Pendleton, La Grande and Baker City. The Oregon Department of Transportation later extended the westbound closure back to Baker City at milepost 302 and through Cabbage Hill at milepost 224 because of the crash.

There is no room for trucks to park in Baker City or La Grande during major incidents, so commercial truck closures can be pushed upstream before traffic reaches the crash. Westbound commercial trucks should leave the freeway at Exit 374 or an earlier exit when the westbound lanes are closed in this area.

Westbound traffic reopened at 8:31 p.m.