Oregon Route 224 is a state highway which runs through some of Portland's southeastern suburbs and ends in the Cascades.

Route description

The northwestern terminus is an interchange with OR 99E in Milwaukie, a suburb of Portland. It continues east as the Milwaukie Expressway, but is formally part of the Clackamas Highway No. 171 (see

Oregon highways and routes The state highway system of the U.S. state of Oregon is a network of highways that are owned and maintained by the Highway Division of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). Highways and routes The state highway system consists of abo ...

). After crossing

Interstate 205 Interstate 205 may refer to either of two unconnected Interstate Highways in the United States, both of which are related to Interstate 5 * Interstate 205 (California), a connector in the San Francisco Bay Area * Interstate 205 (Oregon–Washing ...

in Clackamas, it becomes the Sunrise Expressway for about two miles. Then, the highway continues east as a four-lane

arterial An artery (plural arteries) () is a blood vessel in humans and most animals that takes blood away from the heart to one or more parts of the body (tissues, lungs, brain etc.). Most arteries carry oxygenated blood; the two exceptions are the pu ...

, resuming its designation as the Clackamas Highway, and which it shares with OR 212. East of Clackamas, OR 224 splits off OR 212, and continues south as the Clackamas Highway, passing through hilly farmland. About eight miles (13 km) north of Estacada, it overlaps OR 211. On the eastern edge of Estacada, OR 224 separates from OR 211, and heads southeast into the

Mount Hood National Forest The Mount Hood National Forest is a U.S. National Forest in the U.S. state of Oregon, located east of the city of Portland and the northern Willamette River valley. The Forest extends south from the Columbia River Gorge across more than of fore ...

, here you are in the mountains heading to the small community of Ripplebrook, its southeastern terminus, where state highway maintenance ends. Drivers may continue along the paved

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency in ...

Road 46 to OR 22 in

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, though snow makes the road impassable approximately early November through early May. USFS Road 46 was formerly signed as a portion of OR 224, but was never a state-maintained highway.

History

This is the second route in Oregon with the designation 224. There was an earlier version of OR 224 connecting US 99W (modern

Oregon Route 99W Oregon Route 99W is a state-numbered route in Oregon, United States, that runs from OR 99 and OR 99E in Junction City north to I-5 in southwestern Portland. Some signage continues it north to US 26 near downtown, but most signage agrees with ...

) south of Monmouth to

Oregon Route 223 Oregon Route 223 is a state highway in the U.S. State of Oregon, which runs between the town of Wren, Oregon and the city of Dallas, Oregon. It is known as the Kings Valley Highway No. 191 (see Oregon highways and routes) and is long. It lie ...

near Lewisville following today's Elkins Rd. In those days, Oregon Route 223 followed today's Airlie Rd and Maple Grove Rd between Falls City and Pedee). This incarnation of OR 224 existed from the inception of the Oregon Route System in 1932 until sometime between 1942 and 1944. The Clackamas Highway was realigned onto a section of I-205 in 1971. The easternmost of OR 224 in Mount Hood National Forest was closed to traffic during the 2020 Labor Day wildfires, which damaged pavement, guardrails, and nearby trees. It is reopened to traffic on May 1, 2022, 19 months after its closure.

Sunrise Expressway

The Sunrise Expressway (known as Sunrise Corridor during construction) is a

limited-access highway A limited-access road, known by various terms worldwide, including limited-access highway, dual-carriageway, expressway, limited access freeway, and partial controlled access highway, is a highway or arterial road for high-speed traffic which ...

in Clackamas. It serves as an extension of the Milwaukie Expressway portion of OR 224. Planning for the expressway started in the 1980s. Plans weren't approved until 2010, with construction starting in 2013. Costing $130 million, the expressway opened on July 1, 2016. A

multi-use path A shared-use path, mixed-use path or multi-use pathway is a path which is 'designed to accommodate the movement of pedestrians and cyclists'. Examples of shared-use paths include sidewalks designated as shared-use, bridleways and rail trails. A ...

for use by bicyclists and pedestrians was constructed along the highway. It is the newest highway constructed in the

Portland metropolitan area The Portland metropolitan area is a metro area in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington centered on the principal city of Portland, Oregon. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) identifies it as the Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro, ...

since OR 213 bypassed Oregon City in 1989.

Major intersections

References

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224 Year 224 (Roman numerals, CCXXIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Iulianus and Crispinus (or, less frequently, year 97 ...

Transportation in Clackamas County, Oregon