U.S. Route 30 (US 30) in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 east–west

United States Numbered Highway The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these h ...

that runs from its western terminus in Astoria 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), ...

border east 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 ...

. West of

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 ...

, US 30 generally follows the southern shore 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 ...

; east of Portland, the highway has largely been replaced with Interstate 84 (I-84), though it is signed all the way across the state, and diverges from the I-84 mainline in several towns as a de facto

business route A business route (or business loop, business spur, or city route) in the United States is a short special route that branches off a parent numbered highway at its beginning, continues through the central business district of a nearby city or to ...

. (The state of Oregon does not sign Interstate business routes; instead, it uses the designations US 30 and Oregon Route 99 I-5 corridor">Interstate_5_in_Oregon.html" ;"title="R 99; along the Interstate 5 in Oregon">I-5 corridorfor this purpose.) Out of all the states US 30 traverses, it spends the most time in Oregon. At , it is also the longest road in the state.

Route description

Astoria to Portland

US 30 begins in Astoria, at an intersection with US 101. US 101 southbound from the intersection goes down the length of the Oregon Coast">U.S. Route 101 in Oregon">US 101. US 101 southbound from the intersection goes down the length of the Oregon Coast while northbound US 101 crosses the Astoria–Megler Bridge into Washington (state), Washington. US 30 proceeds east through the intersection, through downtown Astoria, and then along the southern bank of the Columbia River. East of Astoria, US 30 is known as the Lower Columbia River Highway No. 2W, a designation which it carries until Portland. Between Astoria and Portland, the highway passes through (or by) numerous Columbia River towns, such as Svensen, Knappa, Wauna, and Westport. In Westport, one can use the Wahkiakum County ferry to cross the Columbia River to

Puget Island Puget Island is a 7.5 sq mi(4,785 acre; 19.365 km) island and Census-designated place (CDP) in the Columbia River in Wahkiakum County, Washington, United States. The island was named for Peter Puget, a lieutenant in the Vancouver Expeditio ...

and Cathlamet, Washington. Continuing east, the highway passes through the communities of Woodson and Clatskanie. East of Clatskanie, the highway runs inland from the river a bit, approaching the town of Rainier. Just before Rainier is an interchange providing access to the Lewis and Clark Bridge, which crosses the Columbia River to

Longview, Washington Longview is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, Cowlitz County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. It is the principal city of the Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Cowlitz County. Longvie ...

. After Rainier, the highway turns south, following a bend in the river, and runs parallel to I-5 (which is across the river on the Washington side). Towns along the way include Goble, Deer Island, Columbia City, and St. Helens. South of Deer Island, US 30 becomes an expressway, known locally as St. Helens Road. The highway proceeds through the towns of

Warren Warren most commonly refers to: * Warren (burrow), a network dug by rabbits * Warren (name), a given name and a surname, including lists of persons so named Warren may also refer to: Places Australia * Warren (biogeographic region) * War ...

, Scappoose, and Burlington (as well as passing by the access road to

Sauvie Island Sauvie Island is in the U.S. state of Oregon, originally named as Wapato Island or Wappatoo Island. It is the largest island along the Columbia River, at , and one of the largest river islands in the United States. It lies approximately north ...

) before entering Portland. East of Scappoose is the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette rivers.

Portland area

In northwest Portland, US 30 is sandwiched between

Forest Park A forest park is a park whose main theme is its forest of trees. Forest parks are found both in the mountains and in the urban environment. Examples Chile * Forest Park, Santiago China * Gongqing Forest Park, Shanghai * Mufushan National Fore ...

to the west and 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 ...

to the east. South of the Linnton area, US 30 Bypass (US 30 Byp.; Northeast Portland Highway No. 123) heads east across the St. Johns Bridge. US 30 continues south along St. Helens Road and then later on Yeon Avenue through an industrial area as it approaches

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 ...

. On the edge of Downtown Portland, US 30 briefly becomes a

freeway 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 ...

, utilizing part of the route of the canceled I-505, until its interchange with I-405 at the western end of the Fremont Bridge. US 30 crosses the Fremont Bridge (along with I-405) on the Stadium Freeway No. 61; at the eastern end of the bridge, it joins I-5 south for approximately on the Pacific Highway No. 1 and then joins the Banfield Expressway (

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 ...

), where it becomes the Columbia River Highway No. 2. For the remainder of its route in the Portland area, US 30 shares an alignment with I-84. I-84 passes through the eastern Portland suburbs of Fairview, Wood Village, Gresham, and Troutdale in this fashion. US 30 Byp. rejoins US 30 in Wood Village. US 30 Business (US 30 Bus.) was a spur from US 30 Byp. northeast of Downtown Portland, across I-84/US 30 to OR 99E east of Downtown Portland, just east of the

Burnside Bridge The Burnside Bridge is a 1926-built bascule bridge that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States, carrying Burnside Street. It is the second bridge at the same site to carry that name. It was added to the National Register o ...

. It has not rejoined US 30 on its west end since US 30 was moved onto I-405 and I-5 around Downtown Portland.

East of Portland

US 30 runs mostly along I-84 in Oregon east of Portland, diverting to short segments of the old surface route to act as a

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for ...

scenic Scenic may refer to: * Scenic design * Scenic painting * Scenic overlook * Scenic railroad (disambiguation) * Scenic route * Scenic, South Dakota, United States * Scenic (horse), a Thoroughbred racehorse Aviation * Airwave Scenic, an Austrian ...

route for I-84: * Historic Columbia River Highway No. 100 for through

Cascade Locks Cascade Locks is a city in Hood River County, Oregon, Hood River County, Oregon, United States. The city got its name from Cascade Locks and Canal, a set of locks built to improve navigation past the Cascades Rapids of the Columbia River. The U. ...

(also designated the Cascade Locks Highway) * Mount Hood Highway No. 26 for through Hood River * Historic Columbia River Highway No. 100 and Mosier-The Dalles Highway No. 292 for from Mosier to The Dalles * Pendleton Highway No. 67 for through Pendleton * La Grande-Baker Highway No. 66 for through La Grande * La Grande-Baker Highway No. 66 for from North Powder to Baker City * Huntington Highway No. 449 for through Huntington * Ontario Spur No. 493 for from

to the

state line The sections concurrent with I-84 are part of the Columbia River Highway No. 2 west of US 730 at Boardman and part of the Old Oregon Trail Highway No. 6 east of US 730. There is also a US 30 Bus. signed in the Ontario area. This is part of the Olds Ferry-Ontario Highway No. 455.

History

Sections of the highway between The Dalles and Ontario generally follow the route 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 ...

, which was used in the 19th century by U.S. settlers to reach the

Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley ( ) is a valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the east, the ...

. US 30 was created as part of the initial U.S. Numbered Highway System adopted 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 ...

on November 11, 1926. The number was assigned in place of US 20, which had originally been planned for the corridor in Oregon, after objections from the state government. The new national highway incorporated portions of existing state roads, including the

Historic Columbia River Highway The Historic Columbia River Highway is an approximately scenic highway in the U.S. state of Oregon between Troutdale, Oregon, Troutdale and The Dalles, Oregon, The Dalles, built through the Columbia River Gorge between 1913 and 1922. As the firs ...

, which was constructed between 1913 and 1922 through 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 ...

. Before the Banfield Expressway was built, the Portland section of US 30 ran on St. Helens Road to the Willamette Heights section of Portland, then on Wardway Street, then Vaughn Street, then Northwest 18th & 19th avenues, then Burnside Street, and then Sandy Boulevard toward Troutdale. Several sections of the old highway use brown road markers with "Historic US 30" that were installed in the 21st century. The

Interstate Highway System 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 ...

, approved by the federal government in 1956, included construction of a freeway in Oregon along the US 30 corridor between Portland and Ontario; it was later numbered I-80N (now I-84). The Oregon state government unsuccessfully proposed an extension to cover the rest of US 30 between Astoria and Portland in the 1950s and 1960s, which was two lanes wide and in need of funding for improvements. The Astoria–Portland section had been rebuilt with fewer curves by the 1960s but remained congested due to its use as a tourist route as well as a bypass of US 99 (and I-5) upon the removal of tolls from the Lewis and Clark Bridge near

. In 1969, the state government announced plans to widen the highway between Burlington and the Columbia County border but declined to fund further projects in favor of improvements in the Portland area. The state later withdrew its proposals to upgrade the entire section to an expressway, stating that US 30 was meant to serve local traffic and could be improved to a four-lane highway instead. A project to widen US 30 near Scappoose and Warren in the 1970s was delayed by a decade due to disagreements between the state and local governments over its routing and an attempt to build a full bypass. The highway remained slightly more accident-prone than others in Oregon; from 1987 to 1992, a total of 22 crashes on of US 30 in Columbia County resulted in 26 deaths and 769 injuries. In 1988, US 30 was realigned along Northwest Yeon Avenue in Portland to alleviate residential congestion. The new route utilized an interchange with I-405 that was intended for a proposed I-505. The proposed Interstate was intended to be a freeway spur in northwest Portland that would have connected I-405 to St. Helens Road, the latter being the original route for US 30. Funding for the freeway was withdrawn by the city government in November 1978, as it would have required condemnation and rerouting streets on a swath of land through the Northwest Industrial neighborhood. The federal government formally approved the project's cancelation in December 1979 and reallocated funds to other transportation improvements in the area. In the 2010s, the city of Scappoose proposed the construction of a bypass to carry US 30 around the city. A similar proposal was defeated in 1971 following protests from residents over its disruption to future potential development. The $5.5-million (equivalent to $ in ) allocation for the bypass project was redistributed by the state to improve other sections of US 30 in Columbia County.

Major intersections

References