Interesting ODOT FTP Server Find - 1971 Interstate 5 Straightline Chart

[Bickendan]

Harbor Drive still exists between the Baldock Freeway and the Market/Clay Couplet, with a signal ending the freeway portion at SW Montgomery St. With the Streetcar's extension to the South Waterfront, the freeway was truncated to the interchange at SW Harrison St/Moody Ave; the Harrison extension down the embankment between SW Front Ave (now Naito Pkwy) and Harbor Dr cuts across the torn-out ramps that led to/from Front Ave to the Harbor Drive expressway/freeway. You can still make out the right-of-way just past the ramp merge onto Naito from (now ex-) westbound US 26 from the Ross Island Bridge*.

*US 26 now follows SW Arthur, 3rd, Broadway, 6th and I-405 to reach the Sunset from the Ross Island Bridge instead of Front and Clay.

[JasonOfORoads]

Harbor Drive still exists between the Baldock Freeway and the Market/Clay Couplet, with a signal ending the freeway portion at SW Montgomery St. With the Streetcar's extension to the South Waterfront, the freeway was truncated to the interchange at SW Harrison St/Moody Ave; the Harrison extension down the embankment between SW Front Ave (now Naito Pkwy) and Harbor Dr cuts across the torn-out ramps that led to/from Front Ave to the Harbor Drive expressway/freeway. You can still make out the right-of-way just past the ramp merge onto Naito from (now ex-) westbound US 26 from the Ross Island Bridge*.

*US 26 now follows SW Arthur, 3rd, Broadway, 6th and I-405 to reach the Sunset from the Ross Island Bridge instead of Front and Clay.

You can access this part from I-5 Northbound taking Exit 299B, then Exit 1A off of 405.  I believe this ramp actually used to be Exit 300A, at least according to the 1976 Oregon state highway map.  The map was changed in 1977 to sorta label the ramp as Exit 1A from I-405 instead.  The original numbering would explain a few things, such as an errant milepost 300 on that section of the freeway. (Mainline I-5 South is the overpass, which also has a milepost 300 on it.)

Other odd things: There is a single ramp from this freeway section to Sheridan St.  The "Exit" gore sign is actually before the ramp leaves the freeway.  The gore point retains an original gantry, though the name of this type of gantry escapes me.  The signs here used to be button copy but have since been replaced, as evidenced in the Street View.  Finally, when they were building the trolley line a few years ago, it looked like they actually unearthed the original ramps from Front/Naito that had been buried once the freeway was torn up.  However, I'm not sure if that's what really was going on.  Any photos I had are long gone anyway.