Oregon Route 219

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Oregon Route 219 (also known as the Hillsboro-Silverton Highway) is an Oregon state highway which runs between the cities of Hillsboro, Oregon and Woodburn, in the United States. The Hillsboro-Silverton Highway continues further south to Silverton, signed as Oregon Route 214. The highway mainly serves local residents and agricultural traffic; despite its proximity to the Portland area it lies outside the Portland Urban Growth Boundary (except for its northern terminus in Hillsboro) and so maintains its character as a country road.

1 Route description
- 1.1 Cities and towns along the route
- 1.2 Intersections with other highways
2 See also

[edit] Route description

Oregon Route 219's southern terminus is at the junction with Interstate 5 and Oregon Route 214 in the city of Woodburn. (A single diamond interchange serves both OR 219 and OR 214 from the freeway; OR 219 leads west of the interchange and OR 214 heads east.) After passing a collection of shopping malls and motel chains around the Woodburn exit, OR 219 starts winding its way through the Marion County countryside, heading in a northwesterly direction. As the area is primarily farmland, the alignment of OR 219 heads west for a while, then turns north, then turns west again; the route contains numerous 90-degree turns.

The next city encountered is the city of St. Paul. From St. Paul, the highway then heads due north, parallel to (but at some distance from) the Willamette River. A pair of roads heading east provides access to Champoeg State Heritage Area, and after a few miles the route crosses the Willamette River. Soon after crossing the river, the highway enters the city of Newberg.

In Newberg, the route joins (and multiplexes with) Oregon Route 99W, the combined route then heads westward into the city center. (Interestingly enough; when one travels on the multiplex section, one is simultaneously heading north on OR 219 and south on OR 99W, or vice versa). In downtown Newberg, the route enters a one-way couplet; and then OR 219 splits apart from OR 99W again, and heads north.

Immediately north of Newberg, the route enters a steep, narrow, twisty section as it climbs out of the Willamette Valley into the hills overlooking the town. Soon the road levels out again as OR 219 descends into the Tualatin Valley. The next major town is Scholls, where the route intersects with Oregon Route 210. Keeping on OR 219; one then heads in a general northwesterly direction, running parallel to the western bank of the Tualatin River. After OR 210, the next major route encountered is Oregon Route 10, just west of Farmington. About five miles after that, OR 219 enters the city of Hillsboro. In downtown Hillsboro, OR 219 ends at the intersection with Oregon Route 8, the Tualatin Valley Highway.

One significant alignment change occurred during the 90's. It used to be the case that OR 219, rather than running between St. Paul and Woodburn, instead continued south to Salem, Oregon where it terminated in downtown Salem at an intersection with the Salem Parkway. An extension of Oregon Route 214 connected Woodburn with St. Paul. However, that section of OR 219 was decommissioned and is no longer maintained by the Oregon Department of Transportation. Many maps (including Yahoo Maps) still show the old alignment of OR 219.

A proposed future extension of Oregon Route 18 (the Newberg-Dundee Bypass) will intersect Oregon Route 219 south of Newberg when it is constructed.