A studded tire. File photo: Chas Hundley
OREGON - Studded tire season has once again been extended in light of social distancing orders as the state grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Previously, the Oregon Department of Transportation had extended the usual end date for the road-damaging traction devices of March 31 to May 1.
But in a missive sent on Friday, April 17, the agency bumped the deadline to 11:59 p.m. on May 15.
Typically, the agency allows motorists to use studded tires between November 1 and March 31; in 2018 both the Washington Department of Transportation and ODOT extended the studded tire deadline in their respective states to April 15 due to forecasts calling for late-season snow that could impact travel throughout both states. Previous to April 2018, the last time the ODOT extended its March 31 deadline was in 2012.
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ODOT says studded tires over time cause major damage to local, county and state roadways. A 2014 study conducted by the state agency concluded that studded tires cause about $8.5 million in damage each year to Oregon roads, highways, and freeways.
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ODOT encourages drivers to have their studded tires removed before May 15 if it can reasonably be done while maintaining social distancing," the agency said in their latest deadline extension.
