Oregon Route 126

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For the unsigned Highway 105, see Warrenton-Astoria Highway.
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Oregon Route 126
Length: 204.63 mi (329.32 km)
Formed: 1972
West end: US 101 in Florence
Major
junctions:		 OR 36 in Mapleton
OR 200 in Veneta
OR 569 in Eugene
OR 99 in Eugene
I-105, OR 99, and OR 126 Business in Eugene
I-5 at Eugene-Springfield city line
OR 528 in Springfield
OR 126 Business in Springfield
OR 242 in Belknap Springs
US 20 near Santiam Junction
OR 22 in Santiam Junction
OR 242 in Sisters
US 20 in Sisters
US 97 in Redmond
OR 370 in Prineville
East end: US 26 in Prineville
Oregon highways (lists: Routes - Highways)
< OR 120 OR 130 >

Oregon Route 126 is a state highway which connects central and western Oregon and serves the southern Willamette Valley. A short freeway section in Eugene and Springfield is co-signed as Interstate 105.

Contents

[edit] Route description

This section describes the current route of OR 126 from east to west, including the section co-signed as I-105. A business route in the Eugene/Springfield area is also identified.

[edit] Prineville to Springfield

The eastern terminus of OR 126 in Prineville, with its intersection with US 26. It travels westward via the Ochoco Highway to Redmond, crossing U.S. Route 97. From Redmond, it continues west along the Sisters-Redmond Highway to Sisters. West of Sisters, OR 126 is multiplexed with U.S. Route 20 along the Santiam Highway, turning south at Clear Lake along the Clear Lake-Belknap Springs Highway; in Belknap Springs it intersects with Oregon Route 242 and continues west along the McKenzie Highway towards the Eugene/Springfield area.

[edit] Freeway (I-105) section

Image:Splitsection.svg
 It has been suggested that this section be split into a new article entitled Eugene-Springfield Highway. (Discuss)


East of Springfield lies the eastern terminus of the Eugene-Springfield Highway No. 227 (see Oregon highways and routes), a freeway which runs west through the Eugene/Springfield area. OR 126 is routed along this freeway for its entire length. West of the interchange with Interstate 5, the freeway is also designated as Interstate 105, a spur of I-5. This is also where Oregon Route 126 enters Eugene. After two exits, the freeway reaches its western terminus west of downtown Eugene, ending at an interchange with Oregon Route 99.

[edit] Business route

Within the Eugene/Springfield area, OR 126 has a business loop. At the western terminus of I-105, OR 126 west heads west on 6th Avenue (cosigned with OR 99 north); OR 126 east heads north, co-signed with I-105. OR 126 Business heads east from this interchange, cosigned with OR 99 south, along 7th Avenue. This route then heads through Eugene's downtown core, turns south at an interchange with the Ferry Street Bridge, and then turns east again on Franklin Boulevard, which runs on the south shore of the Willamette River, and along the northern edge of the University of Oregon campus. At an interchange with I-5, OR 99 diverges from OR 126 Business (joining I-5 south), OR 126 continues east, soon crossing the river and entering the town of Springfield. OR 126 Business continues east through downtown Springfield, eventually rejoining OR 126 east of the city.

[edit] Eugene to Florence

At the western terminus of I-105, OR 126 turns west along Oregon Route 99 northbound, but quickly separates, becoming the Florence-Eugene Highway. In west Eugene, OR 126 intersects Oregon Route 569. A railroad branch line completed in 1914 parallels the highway for much of it's length. West of Eugene, Oregon Route 126 continues through farmland, passes along Fern Ridge Reservoir (completed 1941) and crosses the Coast Range, the highest point occurring at milepost 30, Cougar Pass, elevation 800 ft. This crossing marks the dividing line between the watersheds of the Willamette and Siuslaw rivers. The two-lane highway winds through the forested valleys first following Wildcat Creek and then the Siuslaw River. The Petersen tunnel built in 1957 completed the Eugene to Florence route of 126 to western terminus, in the coastal community of Florence, Oregon.

[edit] Cites and towns along the route

From east to west

[edit] History

(1926-1951)
(1926-1951)
(1951-1972)
(1951-1972)

In 1926, the route between Florence and Ontario, Oregon was designated as U.S. Route 28; in 1937, US 28 was truncated to have its western terminus at Eugene. In 1951, US 28 was eliminated from the US route system; east of Prineville the highway was designated as U.S. Route 26; the section between Prineville and Eugene was then designated U.S. Route 126. This designation continued until 1972, when US 126 was deleted and replaced with OR 126.

[edit] Prior routes

The route of OR 126 and its predecessors has change numerous times over the years. The original route of US 28 from Florence to Eugene ran through Junction City, multiplexed with U.S. Route 99 (now Oregon Route 99) between Eugene and Junction City. The route between Junction City and and Brickerville is now Oregon Route 36; the original route of US 26 west of Brickerville is no longer on the state highway system.

In 1972, concurrent with the deletion of US 126, OR 126 through the Eugene/Springfield area was routed on a newly-constructed freeway known then as the Q Street Freeway; the portion of US 126 west of the freeway's eastern terminus was designated as OR 126 Business. The portions of the Q Street Freeway west of the interchange with I-5 are also designated as I-105. [1].

The place where OR 126 and its predecessors crosses the Cascade Mountains has changed over the years. Originally, the highway was routed over McKenzie Pass, a high mountainous route that frequently was closed in winter due to poor road conditions. In 1962, the Clear Lake Cutoff was constructed between Clear Lake and Belknap Springs, connecting the McKenzie Highway to the Santiam Highway (U.S. Route 20) to the north; US 126 was re-routed over the cutoff and multiplexed with US 20 east over the Cascades until Sisters, where it resumes its original course. The stretch of the McKenzie Highway between Belknap Springs and Sisters is now designated as Oregon Route 242. OR 242 is primarily a scenic route and is not plowed in wintertime. [2]

[edit] Proposed expansions

Currently, the route of Oregon Route 126 through western Eugene runs along several surface streets, most notably including West 11th Avenue; this route is well-known in the Eugene area for traffic problems. Several projects have been proposed to deal with this; however, none has met with community approval.

[edit] Roosevelt Freeway

The Roosevelt Freeway was a proposed freeway alignment of OR 126 through Eugene, Oregon and its western suburbs, which was cancelled in 1972, largely due to the Oregon freeway revolts.

The freeway (according to a 1967 planning map) was proposed to go north of the current OR 126 alignment along West 11th Avenue, along Roosevelt Boulevard (presently an arterial in Eugene), along the Willamette River near the Whitaker neighborhood, and connect to the current Interstate 105 just south of the Willamette River Bridge. (A proposed eastward extension of the project, the Skinner Butte Freeway, never made it off the drawing board).

The freeway was designed to solve a longstanding traffic issue in Eugene; namely, the inadequacy of West 11th Avenue (a neighborhood arterial) to handle long-haul and commuter traffic. Many commuters, as well as state transportation officials, strongly desired to build the freeway. Plans for the freeway were completed in the mid 1970s, and the state of Oregon had begun buying up property for the right-of-way. A ramp stub currently exists on I-105, where the interchange with the Roosevelt Freeway would have been.

This ramp stub, as seen from the west side of Skinner Butte, was supposed to provde access to the cancelled Roosevelt Freeway from Interstate 105.
This ramp stub, as seen from the west side of Skinner Butte, was supposed to provde access to the cancelled Roosevelt Freeway from Interstate 105.

However, the freeway proved to be unpopular with Eugene city residents, due to its impact on existing neighborhoods (as well as its effect on waterfront access). 1978, the so-called "T-2000" transportation plan was adopted, which excluded the Roosevelt Freeway from its list of transportation projects, effectively killing it. The plan did call for an east-west corridor through west Eugene, but for a scaled-down version. The mothballed West Eugene Parkway, a non-freeway route on a similar alignment, was seen (both by supporters and by critics) as an implementation of these plans.

[edit] West Eugene Parkway

The West Eugene Parkway was a proposed re-alignment of Oregon Route 126 through the western parts of Eugene, Oregon and its suburbs. OR 126 through western Eugene currently runs along several surface streets (including West 11th Avenue); this route is well-known in the Eugene area for traffic problems. The proposed parkway, a limited-access expressway with some at-grade intersections and an interchange, would have run north of the current West 11th alignment, terminating at 6th and 7th Avenues (Oregon Route 99 west of downtown). The project proved to be highly controversial within the local community, and in July 2006, ODOT suspended work on it, recommending a no-build alternative to the Federal Highway Administration. When the necessary paperwork is complete, the project will be effectively dead. [3]

Transportation planners argued that the new route is necessary to fight congestion in Eugene and its western suburbs, and that the highway would facilitate traffic and growth in the year 2025.

Opponents to the parkway alleged several things:

  • the route is not needed--further road construction is a symptom of urban sprawl and that better land use planning is the solution.
  • the route will encourage further development and urban sprawl in west Eugene.
  • that world petroleum supplies will likely be in decline long before the road would be completed, and therefore modest fixes to existing roads would be sufficient.
  • the proposed route will disrupt environmentally-sensitive areas, including wetlands near the proposed alignment.
  • the parkway is just a resurrection of the old Roosevelt Freeway proposal, which was cancelled in 1972 (and that calling the route a "parkway" is deceptive).
  • the proposed route will just dump more traffic in Eugene's downtown core, and that the project fails the federally mandated "independent utility" test (and is thus illegal) for this reason. (Public transportation projects must be self-standing, according to federal law; it is alleged that construction of the parkway will raise traffic on 6th and 7th Avenues to unacceptable levels, requiring construction of a new highway through downtown--a design element which if included in the current plan, would likely lead to its cancellation).
  • the price tag of the project (officially $169 million) would be better spent on other improvements to the area transportation network.

On June 18 and 19, 2001, the City of Eugene, Lane County, the Oregon Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration and the Bureau of Land Management (among others) held a two day "West Eugene Charette" to discuss the future of the project. Most participants were supporters of the highway, but at the end of the conference agreed to select "No Build" for the WEP. This consensus has not yet been implemented, and instead, ODOT and FHWA continue to spend millions on the Environmental Impact Statement. A report from this Charette is posted at the WETLANDS website.

Supporters, and the government agencies involved in the planning of the project, point to the fact that the Parkway proposal has been approved by city voters in two referendum elections, most recently in 2001. Opponents note that the election was 51 to 49, and that proponents claimed "The Money Is There" when selling the project. The official price tag for the WEP was $88 million in 2001, but a 2004 estimate by local and state governments predicts the cost is really $169 million. Few WEP proponents support tax increases to pay for the highway.

On October 26, 2005, the Eugene City Council voted 5-4 to withdraw the City's support for the project, although the City has continued its agreement with the Oregon Department of Transportation to assume responsibility for maintaining part of the road. The City also owns property for the parkway that has not yet been transferred to the Bureau of Land Management's nature preserve for conservation and restoration.

In July 2006, ODOT withdrew its support of the project, effectively killing it.

[edit] Major intersections

Note: mileposts do not reflect actual mileage due to realignments.
County Location Mile[4] Destinations Notes
Lane Florence 0.02 US 101 – Yachats, Newport, Reedsport, Coos Bay
Mapleton 14.40 OR 36 – Swisshome, Junction City
Veneta 46.92 Territorial Highway (OR 200) – Elmira, Veneta
52.69
0.00		 West end of formerly proposed West Eugene Parkway
Eugene 3.10 To I-5 / OR 99 / Beltline Highway (OR 569) – Santa Clara, Springfield
122.26 OR 99 north West end of OR 99 overlap
123.10 Blair Boulevard Former Junction City-Eugene Highway
123.30 Jefferson Street – Lane County Fairgrounds
123.37
0.00		 OR 99 south (OR 126 Bus. east) – Downtown Eugene East end of OR 99 overlap
West end of freeway and I-105
0.89 Delta Highway to Beltline Highway (OR 569) Signed as exit 1
1.96 Country Club Road, Coburg Road – Downtown Eugene Signed as exit 2
3.50 I-5 – Roseburg, Salem East end of I-105; westbound exit for I-5 north is signed as exit 4B
Springfield
4.67 Springfield City Center (OR 528)
6.09 Mohawk Boulevard
7.51 42nd Street – Marcola
9.05 East end of freeway
9.97
6.23
OR 126 Bus. west – Springfield City Center
54.97
19.81		 OR 242 east (Scenic Route) – McKenzie Pass
Linn 0.00
71.69		 US 20 west – Sweet Home, Lebanon, Albany West end of US 20 overlap
Santiam Junction 74.90 OR 22 – Detroit, Salem
Deschutes Sisters 100.12
Z92.03		 OR 242 west (Scenic Route) – McKenzie Pass
93.07 US 20 east – Bend, Burns East end of US 20 overlap
107.43 Cline Falls Highway Interchange
Redmond 111.94
-0.06		 US 97 – Madras, Portland, Bend, Klamath Falls
Crook Powell Butte 6.84 Bozarth Road Former Powell Butte Highway
Prineville 17.92 O'Neil Highway (OR 370) – O'Neil, Terrebonne
18.16 US 26 – Madras, Portland, Prineville City Center, John Day

[edit] References

  1. ^ Interstate 105. oroads.com. Retrieved on 2007 Oct 02.
  2. ^ East of McKenzie Bridge
  3. ^ Northwest Region- Region 2 West Eugene Parkway Project
  4. ^ Oregon Department of Transportation, Public Road Inventory (primarily the Digital Video Log), accessed April 2008

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Auxiliary routes of Interstate 5
California: 105 • 105 (former) • 205 • 305 (unsigned) • 405 • 505 • 605 • 805 • 905 (future) — Oregon: 105 • 205 • 305 (unbuilt) • 405 • 505 (unbuilt) — Washington: 205 • 405 • 605 (proposed) • 705