FINALLY - OR 219 Acknowleged at I-5 Exit 271 Woodburn Interchange

[ylekot]

I noticed today as I drove by Woodburn that the rebuilding of Exit 271 includes new signs that acknowledge both OR 214 and OR 219 at the exit.  How long has OR 219 terminated at Exit 271, and why has it taken so long to add OR 219 to the signage there?  I swear, Oregon really drags their feet when in comes to updating route signage.  I mean, a lot of Oregon Highways had route numbers added in 2002, and most are still not signed.

[nexus73]

It was not until 2013 when the BGS's were put up that 540 got it's turn to be recognized.  However when I wrote to the ODOT office in Coquille I found out that no route signs were planned.  That led to me writing my state rep and she got the message to them loud and clear.  By May 2014 there was some route signage up.  It wasn't to the degree I would have liked but at least ODOT did something.

Anytime you don't like the bureaucrats' inaction, play the elected official trump card on 'em.

Rick

[xonhulu]

I noticed today as I drove by Woodburn that the rebuilding of Exit 271 includes new signs that acknowledge both OR 214 and OR 219 at the exit.  How long has OR 219 terminated at Exit 271, and why has it taken so long to add OR 219 to the signage there?  I swear, Oregon really drags their feet when in comes to updating route signage.  I mean, a lot of Oregon Highways had route numbers added in 2002, and most are still not signed.

I just saw that today, too.  Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera with me to get a photo. 

While it's great that the new signs were put in as part of the interchange rebuild, they've replaced those signs before with no mention of OR 219.  I also think for navigation purposes it would be useful to see some mention of OR 211, maybe on a separate  BGS that also includes Molalla and Estacada as destinations.  Or possibly, ODOT could co-sign 211 with 214 to the interchange.

The slowness to sign the 2002 routes has been puzzling to me, as well, especially since ODOT has put several of the still-unsigned routes (241, 542, 255, 350, 370, and oddly 372) on the official state highway map.

It was not until 2013 when the BGS's were put up that 540 got it's turn to be recognized.  However when I wrote to the ODOT office in Coquille I found out that no route signs were planned.  That led to me writing my state rep and she got the message to them loud and clear.  By May 2014 there was some route signage up.  It wasn't to the degree I would have liked but at least ODOT did something.

I was there late last month, and I thought OR 540 was pretty well-signed, at least at all intersections.  Maybe they've added more signage since May.  There could have been more reassurance shields, but I still thought there was enough for a visitor to follow the route easily.

[ylekot]

I personally think it would make more sense for OR 211 to be extended to I-5, than OR 214.  Especially since the BGS at Exit 271 mention Molalla as a control city.

[nexus73]

Chris,

You are spot on about the reassurance shields.  Where you miss the mark is in seeing where signs are needed for various intersections as well as some signage for Newmark eastbound traffic at the Y in Empire.  I live here (born here too!) and I know all the angles, booby traps and distractions that a turista will encounter.

Too bad you didn't stop by and see me.  I could have given you a nice tour and a history lesson about our area and it's routes.  Agentsteel paid me a visit and had a good time!

Rick

[xonhulu]

You are spot on about the reassurance shields.  Where you miss the mark is in seeing where signs are needed for various intersections as well as some signage for Newmark eastbound traffic at the Y in Empire.  I live here (born here too!) and I know all the angles, booby traps and distractions that a turista will encounter.

The Y was definitely the most deficient intersection.  The only 540 signage was for westbound Ocean Blvd.  The out-of-towner would have to consult a map to know what direction eastbound 540 takes here if they hadn't passed through the intersection before.  I guess it wouldn't be a devastating mistake, as Ocean Blvd also takes you to US 101, but it's still an odd omission.  I also thought there was a need for more 540 shields in the Charleston area.

But compared to most of the other 2002 routes, 540 is relatively bathed in shields!  For example, as heavily traveled as it is, and for how long it's been signed, OR 551 still has zero reassurance shields on the highway itself.  OR 331 is still only signed from the side roads at the Wild Horse resort -- no shields on the hwy itself, or at its intersections with OR 11 and I-84.  OR 130 is only signed at its endpoints.  There is only one OR 273 shield anywhere, after you turn onto the hwy from OR 66.  Ditto OR 260, which had several removed until there's only one remaining.  And as ylekot noted earlier, the majority of 2002 routes are still unsigned.

Too bad you didn't stop by and see me.  I could have given you a nice tour and a history lesson about our area and it's routes.  Agentsteel paid me a visit and had a good time!

Unfortunately, that trip was on a whim, and I didn't put a lot of planning in before taking off.  I was just heading through Coos Bay on my way to camp 2 nights down at Humbug Mountain state park.  It ended up being a nice trip: nice weather, good sight-seeing, and some good hiking, including a trail in the state park that uses an old, bypassed segment of US 101.  One of my major disappointments was finding out the road out to Golden & Silver Falls was closed by a slide; that was another park I was looking forward to revisiting.  Add to that the disappointment in seeing that OR 241 out to it was also still unsigned!

Another highway related note from that trip: on the way home, I took the outstanding Bear Camp Pass Road from Gold Beach to Grants Pass, and side-tripped over to Medford to see if the OR 140 westward extension had been signed yet, since it has appeared on the latest edition of the official state hwy map.  There was no installation of signs at either endpoint (OR 62 and I-5), and no shields along the route yet, but then I found someone had jumped the gun and put up one sign at the junction with Blackwell Rd:

[xonhulu]

I personally think it would make more sense for OR 211 to be extended to I-5, than OR 214.  Especially since the BGS at Exit 271 mention Molalla as a control city.

Agreed.  In an ideal world, they would build a southern roadway around Woodburn that meets I-5 at the Butteville Rd overpass (converted to an interchange, of course), route OR 214 over that, and turn the Newberg Hwy segment over to OR 211.  As development is creeping down towards this potential route, now would be the best time to do something like this.  Butteville Rd should have an interchange, anyway, as it could create another way to get to/from the factory stores and OR 219 from I-5.

Prior to the designation & signing of OR 551, I thought that was more logical as OR 214, since it would be a faster way for southbound I-5 traffic to get to Silverton than exiting at Woodburn.