Interstate 84 In Oregon
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Interstate 84 (I-84) in the U.S. state of
Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
is a major
Interstate Highway The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...
that traverses the state from west to east. It is concurrent with U.S. Route 30 (US 30) for most of its length and runs from an interchange with I-5 in
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...
to the
Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...
state line near
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
. The highway roughly follows the
Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...
and historic
Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and Westward Expansion Trails, emigrant trail in North America that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon Territory. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail crossed what ...
in northeastern Oregon, and is designated as part of Columbia River Highway No. 2 and all of the Old Oregon Trail Highway No. 6; the entire length is also designated as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway. I-84 intersects several of the state's main north–south roads, including US 97, US 197, I-82, and US 395. The freeway serves as the main east–west route through Portland and Gresham and continues into the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. It passes through the cities of Hood River and The Dalles within the gorge and also serves several state parks and natural monuments. Near Pendleton, it leaves the Columbia River and runs southeasterly across the Blue Mountains via La Grande and Baker City. I-84 crosses the
Snake River The Snake River is a major river in the interior Pacific Northwest region of the United States. About long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, which is the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. Begin ...
at Ontario, continuing southeast towards
Boise, Idaho Boise ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Idaho, most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Loca ...
. I-84 was established in 1957 and originally carried the designation of Interstate 80N (I-80N) until 1980, when this was changed to I-84 to prevent confusion with the southerly
I-80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the ori ...
. The earliest sections of the freeway incorporated the existing Banfield Freeway between Portland and Troutdale, opened in 1955, and upgraded other parts of US 30 to
Interstate standards Standards for Interstate Highways in the United States are defined by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in the publication ''A Policy on Design Standards: Interstate System''. For a certain highway t ...
. New roads were built through the Columbia River Gorge in the 1960s and across northeastern Oregon in the 1970s. The final section of I-84, near Baker City, was opened to traffic on July 3, 1975.


Route description

Interstate 84 is the longest freeway in Oregon, at over in length, and is the only Interstate to traverse the state from west to east. The highway connects the
Portland metropolitan area The Portland metropolitan area is a metropolitan area, metro area with its urban area, core in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington (state), Washington. It has 5 principal cities, the largest being Portland, Oregon. The U.S. Office of Man ...
to the
Columbia River Gorge The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to deep, the canyon stretches for over as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range, forming the boundary between the state ...
, the northeastern
Columbia Plateau The Columbia Plateau is an important geology, geologic and geography, geographic region that lies across parts of the U.S. states of Washington (state), Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. It is a wide flood basalt plateau between the Cascade Range a ...
, and part of the
Snake River The Snake River is a major river in the interior Pacific Northwest region of the United States. About long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, which is the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. Begin ...
Valley., wit
inset maps
As a component of the Interstate Highway System, I-84 is also designated as an important national highway under the National Highway System. It is officially named the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway and is mostly concurrent with US 30, which also carries part of the Columbia River Highway No. 2 and all of the Old Oregon Trail Highway No. 6 under Oregon's named route system. I-84 is maintained by the
Oregon Department of Transportation The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is a department of the state government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for systems of transportation. It was first established in 1969. It had been preceded by the Oregon State Highway De ...
(ODOT), who conduct an annual survey of traffic volume that is expressed in terms of
annual average daily traffic Annual average daily traffic (AADT) is a measure used primarily in transportation planning, transportation engineering and retail location selection. Traditionally, it is the total volume of vehicle traffic of a highway or road for a year divided ...
(AADT), a measure of traffic volume for any average day of the year. The highway is the busiest in Oregon, with a daily average of over 177,000 vehicles in eastern
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...
; while the least-traveled section of I-84, south of Baker City, only carries 9,400 vehicles. The highway's route through the Columbia River Gorge is considered one of the most scenic sections of the Interstate Highway System and is visited by 4.5 million tourists annually.


Portland area

Interstate 84 begins across from
downtown Portland Downtown Portland is the central business district of Portland, Oregon, United States. It is on the west bank of the Willamette River in the northeastern corner of the southwest section of the city and where most of the city's high-rise buildi ...
at an interchange with I-5 on the east bank of the
Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward ...
, between the Burnside and
Steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...
bridges and adjacent to the Oregon Convention Center complex. The interchange is also the terminus of the Banfield Freeway, officially the T.H. Banfield Expressway, which carries I-84 and US 30 through eastern Portland along a railroad grade. The freeway travels northeast through Sullivan's Gulch, passing under the twin overpasses of
Oregon Route 99E Oregon Route 99E is an Oregon state highway that runs between Junction City, Oregon and an interchange with I-5 just south of the Oregon/ Washington border, in Portland. It, along with OR 99W, makes up a split of OR 99 in the northern part ...
(OR 99E), which also carries the
Portland Streetcar The Portland Streetcar is a streetcar system in Portland, Oregon, that opened in 2001 and serves areas surrounding downtown Portland. The NS Line runs from Northwest Portland to the South Waterfront via Downtown and the Pearl District. Th ...
's Loop lines that serve the Eastside district of the city. At an interchange near the
Lloyd Center Lloyd Center is a shopping mall in the Lloyd District, Portland, Oregon, Lloyd District of Portland, Oregon, United States, just northeast of Downtown Portland, downtown. It is owned by the Urban Renaissance Group and KKR Real Estate Finance T ...
and Holladay Park, the Banfield Freeway is joined by
MAX Light Rail The Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) is a light rail system serving the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon. Owned and operated by TriMet, it consists of five lines connecting the Neighborhoods of Portland, Oregon, six sectio ...
trains, which stop along stations on the north side of the freeway. I-84 serves several local interchanges, which often lack exits for both directions of the freeway, in the neighborhoods of Kerns,
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
, North Tabor, and Madison South while following the meandering gulch. After an interchange with OR 213, the freeway intersects the city's north–south bypass, I-205. The two freeways run parallel to each other for , with I-205 and the MAX Light Rail tracks to the west, the railroad and 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 ...
in the center, and I-84 on the east, along the east side of
Rocky Butte Rocky Butte (previously known as Mowich Illahee and Wiberg Butte) is an extinct cinder cone butte in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is also part of the Boring Lava Field, a group of volcanic vents and lava flows throughout Oregon and Was ...
. At Fremont Street, I-84 splits from I-205 and the MAX Light Rail tracks to continue east along Sandy Boulevard ( US 30 Bypass) through the city's easternmost suburban neighborhoods. The freeway briefly enters northern Gresham and passes through the neighboring cities of Fairview and Wood Village before reaching Troutdale. It passes north of downtown Troutdale and crosses over the Sandy River near Troutdale Airport, entering the Sandy River Delta
nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...
.


Columbia Gorge

I-84 and US 30 emerge from the park at the south bank of the
Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...
, which it follows into the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area. The freeway runs east along the foot of the gorge, passing through several
state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...
s and
scenic viewpoint A scenic viewpoint—also called an observation point, viewpoint, viewing point, vista point, scenic overlook,These terms are more commonly used in North America. etc.—is an elevated location where people can view scenery (often with binocu ...
s connected via the Historic Columbia River Highway, including
Multnomah Falls Multnomah Falls is a waterfall located on Multnomah Creek in the Columbia River Gorge, east of Troutdale, Oregon, Troutdale, between Corbett, Oregon, Corbett and Dodson, Oregon, Dodson, Oregon, United States. The waterfall is accessible from the ...
—the second-tallest year-round waterfall in the United States and one of the state's most visited tourist destinations. I-84 runs opposite from
Washington State Route 14 State Route 14 (SR 14) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Washington. The highway travels east-west on the north side of the Columbia River, opposite Interstate 84 (I-84) to the south in Oregon. SR 14 forms a section ...
(WA 14) on the north bank of the river, which also carries
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
's ''
Empire Builder The ''Empire Builder'' is a daily long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago and either Seattle or Portland via two sections west of Spokane. Introduced in 1929, it was the flagship passenger train of the Great North ...
'' passenger trains, and several large mountains that are visible from the freeway. The highway reaches the
Bonneville Dam Bonneville Lock and Dam consists of several run-of-the-river dam structures that together complete a span of the Columbia River between the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington at River Mile 146.1. The dam is located east of Portland, Ore ...
, where it provides the main access to the visitors center on Bradford Island, and passes three regional
fish hatcheries A fish hatchery is a place for artificial breeding, Egg#Fish and amphibian eggs, hatching, and rearing through the early life stages of animals—finfish and shellfish in particular.Crespi V., Coche A. (2008) Food and Agriculture Organization of t ...
. Adjacent to the dam, the freeway reaches a
basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
cliff under Tooth Rock, which it traverses using a tunnel for the eastbound lanes and a viaduct for the westbound lanes that overhangs the river. Further upriver from the dam in Hood River County, I-84 intersects the Bridge of the Gods, a toll bridge near Cascade Locks and the first public crossing of the Columbia River east of the Portland area. The bridge also carries the
Pacific Crest Trail The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie ...
, a transcontinental hiking trail that follows the crest of the
Cascade Cascade, or Cascading may refer to: Science and technology Science * Air shower (physics), a cascade (particle shower) of subatomic particles and ionized nuclei ** Particle shower, a cascade of secondary particles produced as the result of a high ...
and
Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...
mountain ranges. From the bridge, I-84 briefly leaves the river's edge and travels around the south side of Cascade Locks, while US 30 splits from the freeway and runs through the town. The two highways are rejoined near Cascade Locks State Airport and return to the shore of the river near Government Cove. Near this area, the
Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs is a federally recognized Native American tribe made of three tribes who put together a confederation. They live on and govern the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in the U.S. state of Oregon. Tribes Th ...
proposed to build a large casino and resort, which was rejected by various governments several times and abandoned in 2013. I-84 then continues into Hood River, situated in an open valley with a mix of farmland and suburban housing. US 30 leaves the freeway at Cascade Avenue and runs through the city's downtown, which lies just south of the freeway and railroad. The freeway intersects a downtown street on the west side of the Hood River, just north of the city's historic train depot on the Mount Hood Railroad, where excursion trains depart for Parkdale near
Mount Hood Mount Hood, also known as Wy'east, is an active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range and is a member of the Cascade Volcanic Arc. It was formed by a subduction zone on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast and rests in the Pacific N ...
. Across the river, I-84 is rejoined by US 30 and intersects OR 35, part of the Mount Hood Scenic Byway, at the south end of the Hood River Bridge. The toll bridge crosses the Columbia River and connects Hood River to
White Salmon, Washington White Salmon is a city in Klickitat County, Washington, United States. It is located in the Columbia River Gorge. The population was 2,193 at the 2000 census, increased 1.4% to 2,224 at the 2010 census, and increased 11.7% to 2,485 at the ...
and has a regular toll of $2 per vehicle. The freeway continues southeast along the Bingen Gap and enters Wasco County near Kobert Beach. Upon reaching Mosier, US 30 splits from I-84 and travels inland along the Historic Columbia River Highway while I-84 remains near the riverbank, passing through Memaloose State Park. The two highways run parallel to each other and the
Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...
through Rowena and turn south while approaching The Dalles. The highways pass the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center & Museum and through the suburban areas of the city, separated from the river by an
industrial park An industrial park, also known as industrial estate or trading estate, is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more heavyweight version of a business park or office par ...
that includes a major
data center A data center is a building, a dedicated space within a building, or a group of buildings used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems. Since IT operations are crucial for busines ...
for
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. The freeway returns to the river near downtown The Dalles, crossing southeast over US 30 twice as it remains on city streets. US 30 returns to I-84 east of The Dalles at an intersection with US 197, which travels south towards Bend and north across The Dalles Bridge to WA 14 near Dallesport, Washington. The freeway passes The Dalles Dam and continues northeast around the foot of Signal Hill and Kaser Ridge to Celilo Village, where it intersects OR 206. OR 206 continues along the south side of the freeway as both roads cross the
Deschutes River The Deschutes River ( ) in central Oregon is a major tributary of the Columbia River. The river provides much of the drainage on the eastern side of the Cascade Range in Oregon, gathering many of the tributaries that descend from the drier, easte ...
into Sherman County and travels southeasterly towards Condon. The Deschutes River marks the eastern end of the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area, though the gorge itself continues further northeast through the
shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominance (ecology), dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbaceous plant, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally o ...
s of the
Columbia Plateau The Columbia Plateau is an important geology, geologic and geography, geographic region that lies across parts of the U.S. states of Washington (state), Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. It is a wide flood basalt plateau between the Cascade Range a ...
. I-84 and US 30 travel northeast to Biggs Junction, where it intersects US 97 at the south end of the Sam Hill Memorial Bridge, which continues across the river to Maryhill State Park in
Maryhill Maryhill () is an area in the north-west of Glasgow in Scotland. A former independent burgh and the heart of an eponymous local authority ward, its territory is bisected by Maryhill Road, part of the A81 road which runs for a distance of ro ...
—an early
planned community A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...
by businessman Sam Hill that features a Stonehenge replica and had the first paved roads in the Northwest. US 97 also continues south from Biggs Junction to Bend and north to Goldendale and
Yakima Yakima ( or ) is a city in and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States, and the state's 11th most populous city. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 96,968 and a metropolitan population of 256,728. The ...
. The freeway continues northeast through
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and past the John Day Dam to the
John Day River The John Day River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately long, in northeastern Oregon in the United States. It is known as the Mah-Hah River by the Cayuse people. Undammed along its entire length, the river is the fourth longest ...
, where it crosses into Gilliam County.


Eastern Oregon

I-84 and US 30 continue east along the river, now the expanded Lake Umatilla, and reaches Arlington at the foot of Alkali Canyon. There, it intersects OR 19 in an interchange that is split into two halves by Earl Snell Memorial Park. OR 19 travels south to Columbia Ridge, a major
landfill A landfill is a site for the disposal of waste materials. It is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of waste with daily, intermediate and final covers only began in the 1940s. In the past, waste was ...
that serves Portland and
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
, and the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. From Arlington, I-84 runs northeast along the edge of the Shepherds Flat Wind Farm, the second-largest
wind farm A wind farm, also called a wind park or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundred wind turbines covering an exten ...
in the United States, and intersects OR 74 at Willow Creek. After reaching Morrow County, the terrain opens into wide rangelands, including the Boardman Naval Weapons Training Facility that the freeway passes to the north. I-84 continues through the city of Boardman and turns southeast, leaving the river to intersect US 730 and pass under the Umatilla Army Depot, which is planned to be redeveloped into industrial land and a
wildlife refuge A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geolog ...
. Formerly a poplar tree farm was planted in rows for along I-84 just east of Boardman and was considered a scenic sight and a community fixture. The trees were cut down in 2016 and other crops were planted. At the southeast corner of the Army depot near Hermiston in Umatilla County, I-84 intersects the southern terminus of I-82, a freeway connecting northeastern Oregon to Washington's Tri-Cities, Yakima, and
I-90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...
. The freeway goes on to intersect OR 27 south of Hermiston and US 395 near Stanfield, forming a concurrency with the latter. From Stanfield, I-84, US 30, and US 395 continue southeast along the
Umatilla River The Umatilla River is an tributary of the Columbia River in northern Umatilla County, Oregon, Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. drainage basin, Draining a basin of , it enters the Columbia near the city of Umatilla, Oregon, Umatilla in the ...
and the old
Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and Westward Expansion Trails, emigrant trail in North America that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon Territory. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail crossed what ...
to Pendleton, which lies in a valley formed by the river. West of the city, near the Eastern Oregon Regional Airport, US 30 leaves the concurrency to run through downtown on city streets. After passing the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution and crossing the river, US 395 splits from I-84 at Southgate, heading south towards John Day. I-84 continues around the south edge of Pendleton and intersects OR 11, a connecting highway to
Walla Walla, Washington Walla Walla ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Walla Walla County, Washington, United States. It had a population of 34,060 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, estimated to have decreased to 33,339 as of 2023. The combined populat ...
, before being rejoined by US 30. The freeway travels southeast through a portion of the
Umatilla Indian Reservation The Umatilla Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. It was created by The Treaty of 9 June 1855 between the United States and members of the Walla, Cayuse, and Umatilla tribes. It lies in north ...
, passing the on-reservation resort casino, and begins its ascent into the Blue Mountains. The easternmost of I-84 includes several sharp curves and steep
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, along with winter weather that causes frequent closures and collisions. The westbound and eastbound lanes are split by a wide median for as I-84 climbs up a series of switchbacks on Cabbage Hill (also known as Emigrant Hill), which have a maximum grade of 5 to 6 percent. This section of the freeway also has an additional passing lane for uphill travel,
runaway truck ramp A runaway truck ramp, runaway truck lane, escape lane, safety ramp, emergency escape ramp, or truck arrester bed is a traffic device that enables vehicles which are having braking problems to stop safely. It is typically a long, sand- or gravel- ...
s on descending slopes, chain-up zones, water refills for truck
radiator A radiator is a heat exchanger used to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling and heating. The majority of radiators are constructed to function in cars, buildings, and electronics. A radiator is always a ...
s, and
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age for weather conditions. I-84 cuts northeast across Emigrant Hill and turns south after Deadman Pass, traveling towards the Emigrant Springs State Heritage Area near Meacham, located in the
Umatilla National Forest The Umatilla National Forest, in the Blue Mountains (Oregon), Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon and southeast Washington (U.S. state), Washington, covers an area of 1.4 million acres (5,700 km2). In descending order of land area the forest ...
. Near Kamela, I-84 crosses the Blue Mountain summit, the second highest point of any freeway in the state at above sea level. I-84 descends from the central Blue Mountains along Railroad Canyon, named for the Union Pacific line that runs through it, and reaches a junction with OR 244 at Hilgard Junction. From Hilgard, the highway travels east along the meandering Grande Ronde River to La Grande, seat of Union County and home to
Eastern Oregon University Eastern Oregon University (EOU) (officially designated as Oregon’s Rural University) is a public university in La Grande, Oregon. It was formerly part of the since dissolved Oregon University System. EOU was founded in 1929 as a teacher’s ...
. US 30 splits from I-84 and runs through downtown, while I-84 bypasses the city on its northeast side, crossing over the Grande Ronde River and intersecting OR 82. I-84 and US 30 are reunited southeast of the city at an interchange with OR 203, just west of the La Grande/Union County Airport. The freeway continues south through the Grande Ronde Valley to Ladd Canyon, which it follows while gently ascending part of Craig Mountain at the edge of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. I-84 then descends into a wide valley and splits from US 30 at an interchange with OR 237 in North Powder. The two highways continue south into Baker County, but are separated by the Powder River and Coyote Point. I-84 intersects OR 86 and the south end of OR 203 near Baker City Municipal Airport, at the edge of Baker City. The freeway passes the east side of Baker City, intersecting OR 7, and continues south through a
cut Cut or CUT may refer to: Common uses * The act of cutting, the separation of an object into two through acutely directed force ** A type of wound ** Cut (archaeology), a hole dug in the past ** Cut (clothing), the style or shape of a garment ** ...
in the city's southeastern hill. I-84 and US 30 are rejoined and follow Sutton and Alder creeks southeast through Pleasant Valley, an area notorious for inclement weather due to its
microclimate A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often slightly but sometimes substantially. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square m ...
. The surrounding area is marked by gravel mines and dry shrubland that runs over the ridges formed by various streams. At Durkee, the freeway begins to follow the Burnt River, passing Rattlesnake Springs State Park, Weatherby, and Lime. I-84 leaves the Burnt River valley west of Huntington and continues southeast to the Farewell Bend State Recreation Area in northeastern Malheur County, where it briefly follows the
Snake River The Snake River is a major river in the interior Pacific Northwest region of the United States. About long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, which is the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. Begin ...
. The freeway leaves the river at an interchange with OR 201 near Huffman Island and continues southeast across several cuts and embankments dug into an arm of the Blue Mountains. I-84 continues into the Payette Valley and intersects OR 201 (co-signed with US 30 Business) in the northern outskirts of
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
. The freeway continues along the Snake River, bypassing downtown Ontario to the north, and reaches an interchange with Idaho Avenue, where US 30 splits to cross into Fruitland, Idaho. I-84 travels south and passes Ontario's northbound welcome center, which receives up to 55,000 visitors annually, before crossing the Snake River into Idaho west of Fruitland. Within Idaho,
I-84 Interstate 84 may refer to: * Interstate 84 (Oregon–Utah), passing through Idaho, formerly known as Interstate 80N * Interstate 84 (Pennsylvania–Massachusetts), passing through New York and Connecticut {{road disambiguation ...
travels east into the
Treasure Valley The Treasure Valley is a valley in the western United States, primarily in southwestern Idaho, where the Payette, Boise, Weiser, Malheur, and Owyhee rivers drain into the Snake River. It includes all the lowland areas from Vale in rural east ...
(including
Boise Boise ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Located on the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and nor ...
) and
Magic Valley The Magic Valley, also known as South Central Idaho, is a region in south-central Idaho constituting Blaine, Camas, Cassia, Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln, Minidoka, and Twin Falls counties. It is particularly associated with the agricultural reg ...
before continuing on towards
Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...
.


History

The Columbia River Gorge and overland crossing between The Dalles and Idaho were originally part of the
Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and Westward Expansion Trails, emigrant trail in North America that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon Territory. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail crossed what ...
during the 19th century. The gorge itself was traversed via boat until the construction of a
wagon road ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western television series that aired for eight seasons, first on the NBC television network (1957–1962) and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and reached the top of the N ...
in the 1870s that was upgraded to a water-level route that opened in 1882. The wagon roads were replaced by the Columbia River Highway, built from 1913 to 1922 and paved with asphaltic concrete. The gorge road was incorporated into a longer highway from Astoria to Pendleton designated as Columbia River Highway No. 2 in 1917 as part of Oregon's first state highway system. The new system also included Old Oregon Trail Highway No. 6, which followed the historic Oregon Trail from Pendleton to
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
on the Idaho state border, passing through La Grande and Baker City. The two highways were signed as US 30 under the national numbered highway system, approved in 1926 by the
American Association of State Highway Officials The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test protocols, and guidelines that are used in highway design and construction throughout the United St ...
(AASHO). Improvements to the Columbia River Highway and Old Oregon Trail Highway had been planned since the early 1930s, primarily centered on a straighter alignment along the river, but
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
delayed further development until 1948. After the state legislature authorized construction of
controlled-access highway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...
s in 1947, the Columbia River Highway was targeted for major rebuilding to grade-separated standards. The Oregon State Highway Division started rebuilding parts of the highway segment by segment beginning in 1948 as bond funding became available, and completed the "water level" route in 1954. One of the segments completed in the early 1950s was the Banfield Expressway in Portland. After the passing of the Federal Interstate and Defense Highways Act in 1956, US 30 was scheduled to be superseded by a new freeway, on an alignment closer to the river on flat terrain. The segment between Portland and The Dalles was mostly complete by 1963, but it would take until 1968 for construction of the highway to meet Interstate highway standards. Several sections of the Historic Columbia River Highway were destroyed to accommodate the wider highway, including the iconic Mitchell Point Tunnel. Further work on the section in the eastern gorge, from The Dalles to Pendleton, began in the 1950s and was completed in 1964. Construction on the remaining segment between Pendleton and Ontario began in 1965 and continued until July 3, 1975, when the final section of I-84 opened near Baker City. The highway was initially designated in 1957 as Interstate 82, but was renumbered as Interstate 80N in 1958 to correspond with US 30 and give Oregon a "transcontinental" number. Oregon leaders had originally requested the designation of Interstate 80, but accepted I-80N as a compromise. It remained as Interstate 80N until May 1, 1980, when it was changed to Interstate 84 to eliminate confusion with the western section of the non-suffixed I-80, which split from I-80N in
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...
and continued west to
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
. The changing of signs in Oregon cost $140,000 and was funded by the federal government, which approved the change in 1979. The entire highway was dedicated as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway in September 2014 by the state legislature, joining a similar designation in Idaho. In November 2016, ODOT activated a variable speed zone on a stretch of Interstate 84 between Baker City and Ladd Canyon. The new electronic signs collect data regarding temperature, skid resistance, and average motorist speed to determine the most effective speed limit for the area before presenting the limit on the sign.


Banfield Freeway

The T.H. Banfield Expressway, commonly known as the Banfield Freeway, is the portion of Interstate 84 between its western terminus at
Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...
and its intersection at Interstate 205 in
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...
,
Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
,
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. The expressway, originally built as part of US 30, is named for Thomas H. "Harry" Banfield (1885–1950), a former Oregon State Highway commissioner. Prior to the creation of the Banfield, surface streets were the only routes from Portland to the country. Under
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...
, the federal government had started providing federal assistance to expressway projects. As a result, planners designed a freeway system in Portland. The first step in building this new freeway system was to construct the Banfield, which would stretch from Portland to Troutdale. The first section of the Banfield Expressway from Northeast 42nd Street to Troutdale opened on October 1, 1955, as Oregon's first freeway. The full length, stretching from the Burnside Bridge to Troutdale, opened on January 24, 1958, with the completion of the section west of Northeast 42nd Avenue. The section through Sullivan's Gulch had been used by the
Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...
beginning in 1882 and had a right of way for use by the freeway. I-80N was planned to be moved from the Banfield, which did not meet full Interstate standards, to the
Mount Hood Freeway The Mount Hood Freeway is a partially constructed but never to be completed freeway alignment of U.S. Route 26 and Interstate 80N (now Interstate 84), which would have run through southeast Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of ...
under planning in the 1960s. The freeway would have connected to I-5 near the
Marquam Bridge The Marquam Bridge is a double-deck, cantilever bridge, steel-truss cantilever bridge that carries Interstate 5 traffic across the Willamette River from south of downtown Portland, Oregon, on the west side to the industrial area of inner South ...
and run through southeastern Portland to I-205, requiring a concurrency to reach the Banfield near Parkrose. The proposal was later cancelled in 1974. A pair of time-limited
high-occupancy vehicle A high-occupancy vehicle lane (also known as an HOV lane, carpool lane, diamond lane, 2+ lane, and transit lane or T2 or T3 lanes) is a restricted traffic lane reserved for the exclusive use of vehicles with a driver and at least one passenger, i ...
lanes were installed in December 1975 at an approximate cost of $500,000. They were available for buses and passenger vehicles with three or more occupants. The westbound lane was long and open 6:30 to 9:30 a.m.; the eastbound lane was and open from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. In 1977, the lane had a passenger volume of 1,075 people in the peak hour of traffic with an average of 2.81 people per rideshare vehicle, compared to 2,272 passengers per hour and 1.18 passengers per car for the regular lanes. The lane was calculated to have 88 percent excess capacity in the peak hour of traffic, remaining relatively open. A report noted a 12 percent violation rate of the HOV lane and that enforcement of the lane was difficult because there was no shoulder for police to pull over a driver. The HOV lane was removed in 1982 for the start of freeway widening work and TriMet MAX construction. The highway was widened to eight lanes during the 1980s, and the
MAX Light Rail The Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) is a light rail system serving the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon. Owned and operated by TriMet, it consists of five lines connecting the Neighborhoods of Portland, Oregon, six sectio ...
's Blue Line was added along the north side at the same time in 1986. Construction of the widened freeway and light rail line required the demolition and replacement of twelve overpasses and the closure of several ramps. The Portland Bureau of Transportation built a pedestrian and bicycle bridge over a section of the Banfield Expressway in the early 2020s. The bridge, named the
Earl Blumenauer Earl Francis Blumenauer ( ; born August 16, 1948) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 1996 to 2025. The district includes most of Portland, Oregon, ...
Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge, connects two ends of Northeast 7th Avenue (near Grand Avenue) between East Portland and the Lloyd District. It opened in July 2022 and cost $13.7 million to construct.


Exit list


References


External links

*
Interstate 84 (western) at Interstate Guide.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Interstate 084 In Oregon Columbia River Gorge Oregon 84 Transportation in Baker County, Oregon Transportation in Gilliam County, Oregon Transportation in Hood River County, Oregon Transportation in Malheur County, Oregon Transportation in Morrow County, Oregon Transportation in Multnomah County, Oregon Transportation in Portland, Oregon Transportation in Sherman County, Oregon Transportation in Umatilla County, Oregon Transportation in Union County, Oregon Transportation in Wasco County, Oregon