Oregonians have until Thursday, March 31 to have their studded tires removed. That’s the annual deadline to remove the tires, which some drivers use for extra grip on ice-covered roads. While the deadline is extended if late-season wintry weather is in the forecast, that isn’t happening this year.
Studded tires are made to help drivers in icy and snowy conditions, but they are only allowed on the road during certain times of the year.
Francisca Benitez / OPB
“Every spring our folks in ODOT get together with meteorologists, and we also coordinate with the state of Washington as well, and we look at long-term forecasts and predictions, and it’s looking like a pretty nice spring,” said Oregon Department of Transportation spokesperson Kacey Davey. “And so with that, we did not extend the deadline for studded tires to be removed this year.”
While studded tires are legal during the winter months, ODOT says they cause millions of dollars of damage to Oregon highways each year.
Washington shares the same deadline.
