Oregon Route 126
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Oregon Route 126 is a state highway which connects central and western Oregon and serves the southern Willamette Valley. It can be regarded as a spur route to U.S. Route 26, and in fact, was formerly designated U.S. Route 126.
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[edit] Route description
Oregon Route 126 begins in Prineville, with its intersection with US 26. It travels westward, across the high desert into the Cascades, passing the town of Sisters. It shares a segment with U.S. Route 20, but then turns southward through the McKenzie River Valley, offering views of farms and forest, as well as hydroelectric dams which provide power to Lane County residents. Then, Oregon Route 126 enters the Eugene-Springfield metropolitan area. Westward, it encounters the working-class town of Springfield first, and at a T-intersection, heads in a northwestward loop, becoming the Eugene-Springfield Highway, a limited-access freeway. After the interchange with Interstate 5, Oregon Route 126 is also marked Interstate 105, a spur of I-5. This is also where Oregon Route 126 enters Eugene. After two exits (the second of which is for the Delta Highway), the freeway comes to a halt, ending at an interchange with Oregon Route 99. Oregon Route 126 turns west along Oregon Route 99 northbound, but quickly separates, and exits Eugene at its western edge, with an intersection with the Belt Line Road. Then Oregon Route 126 continues through farmland and crosses the Coast Range. After some winding forest views and a tunnel, the two-lane highway starts following the Siuslaw River until it reaches its western terminus, in the coastal community of Florence.
[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] Cites and towns along the route
[edit] Intersections with other highways
- U.S. Route 26 in Prineville
- U.S. Route 97 in Redmond
- U.S. Route 20 and Oregon Route 242 in Sisters (shared segment with US 20)
- Oregon Route 242 again east of McKenzie Bridge
- Interstate 5 in Eugene/Springfield
- Oregon Route 99, Belt Line Road in Eugene (shared segment with OR 99)
- Oregon Route 36 in Mapleton
- U.S. Route 101 in Florence
[edit] History
Portions of OR 126 (east of Eugene) were previously known as U.S. Route 28 between 1926 and 1951; and as U.S. Route 126 from 1951-1972. OR 126 was also known as "Route F" from Eugene to Florence.[1]
[edit] Future developments
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:
- The Roosevelt Freeway was a freeway proposed in the 1960s and planned in the 1970s, which would serve as a new alignment of OR 126 through west Eugene. It was cancelled in 1978 due to community opposition.
- The West Eugene Parkway is a somewhat similar (though scaled-back) project which is being currently planned.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Oregon Highways and Routes: McKenzie Highway
- City of Eugene Public Works department page on the West Eugene Parkway project.
- Oregon Dept. of Transportation page on the West Eugene Parkway project.
- WETLANDS: West Eugene Transportation, Land and Neighborhood Design Solutions, an alternative to the $200 million WEP
