The Oregon Department of Transportation closed Highway 97 northbound from Madras and both lanes of Highway 26 from Madras to Warm Springs on Thursday night as freezing rain made the roads too slippery and dangerous to drive on, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

An Oregon State Police dispatcher said a lack of manpower prevented the closure of the southbound lanes of Highway 97.

”We have tons of vehicles off the highway and there’s tons of freezing rain,” said Penny Leith, a dispatcher with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s office.

The Oregon State Police reported that several of those vehicles were semi-trucks that had spun off the roads.

No one was injured, according to the two agencies.

Central Oregon drivers weren’t the only ones battling the weather.

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) trip check line reported that I-84 from Troutdale to Hood River was closed Thursday because of dangerous road conditions. Several other highways around the state required drivers to use chains or remained closed to oversize vehicles.

At Jake’s Diner in Bend, a popular truck eatery and rest stop, veteran truck driver Roeland Neyenhuys enjoyed a chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes after a week of bad roads and long delays.

It took Neyenhuys 15 hours to get from Medford to Seattle on Monday to deliver a load of plate glass, and another 11 hours on Tuesday to drive from Seattle back to Brooks, just north of Salem. He journeyed to Bend on Thursday from Springfield.

”I’ve got ODOT programmed into my cell phone,” Neyenhuys said.

The icy conditions and road closures have meant delayed shipments for several stores in Central Oregon which depend on truck deliveries from the west side of the state.

Rudy Dory, the owner of Newport Market in Bend, said the store hasn’t been able to get all of the perishable merchandise, such as produce, that it ordered.

”Like this morning, we were supposed to get some Fresh Express (bagged) salads, and we got shorted of that, but it should be on the next load,” he said. ”Overall we’re in pretty good shape.”

Megan Amsbary, photo specialist at the Bend Wal-Mart, said she hasn’t received a shipment of photos, which are developed at a lab in the Willamette Valley, in four days.

Derrick Roediger, a manager at the Redmond Safeway, said trucks carrying the store’s dairy products and produce didn’t show up Thursday.

”We always have plenty of stuff here, we just might run out of sale items,” he said.

The weather prompted a rush on some less obvious emergency supplies.

Scott Lequieu, owner of the Culver Market, said he’s been selling more beer and cigarettes than he usually does.

And those traveling by air to Portland on Thursday are probably still in Central Oregon following closure of Portland International Airport. Carrie Novak, manager of the Redmond Airport, said the field usually has about 10 departures to Portland daily carrying about 300 passengers.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning through tonight for the Greater Portland Metro Area. Today’s forecast calls for freezing rain and highs around 35 degrees.

In Central Oregon, the weather service predicted a chance of rain today, with the snow level at 5,000 feet in the morning and 3,500 feet at night. High temperatures should be in the mid-40s and lows near 30 to 35, according to the weather service.

Kelly Kearsley can be reached at 541-383-0348 or at kkearsley@bendbulletin.com.