Interstate 505 Oregon
Overview
Interstate 505, the Industrial Freeway, was a planned 3.17 mile long spur from I-405 along the U.S. 30 corridor in northwest Portland. The Industrial Freeway was conceptualized as early as 1959 and 1963. The American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) approved the I-505 designation on June 23, 1969 and the Interstate highway was proposed in 1971 as a 1.3 mile long facility. Controversy involving the construction of I-505 ensued. A lawsuit demanding an environmental study was presented to the U.S. District Court in 1971, and it was debated through the rest of the decade.
Interstate 505 was formally withdrawn from Oregon’s Interstate Highway System in December 1979. The lone segment built was the approach ramps to Interstate 405 and the Fremont Bridge at the east end. These were incorporated into a reroute of U.S. 30.1
Plans for Interstate 505 called for the west end to be at the St. Johns Bridge approach (U.S. 30 Bypass). This landmark bridge, built in 1931, would possibly have had its western approach modified to meet the proposed Interstate highway. 09/02/06
Route Information
ODOT Hwy #92 / Lower Columbia River Hwy (US 30) Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT)
Milepost | Vehicles per day |
---|---|
1.45 | 77,200 |
1.87 | 39,900 |
2.38 | 35,200 |
2.63 | 35,000 |
3.07 | 32,900 |
Interstate 505 appeared on the Portland inset of the 1973 Oregon Official Highway Map
According to Interstate 50th Anniversary: The Story of Oregon’s Interstates, the Interstate 505 freeway spur was planned to open up the industrial areas along Yeon Avenue; the freeway would have been routed on or along this section of U.S. 30. It would have extended from Interstate 405 in Downtown Portland to U.S. 30 Bypass where U.S. 30 changes into St. Helens Road. The course would have traveled through a considerable number of residential buildings and along the fringe of Forest Park. These factors ultimately caused Interstate 505 to join in Oregon’s Great Freeway Kill Off in the mid 1970s.2
The state of Oregon redirected federal Interstate dollars allocated for I-505 for an array of projects. These included funds for completing Interstate 205, Portland area highway improvements on U.S. 26 (Sunset Highway), Oregon 212, and Oregon 217 and other roads, and construction of mass transportation systems including the “Banfield Transitway Project”.
East End
/ Fremont Bridge – Portland, Oregon
East at
North at
South
West
West End of Freeway Spur
(N.W. Yeon Ave) at Vaughn St – Portland, Oregon
West
U.S. 30 transitions into N.W. Yeon Avenue at forthcoming Nicolai Street. Prior to the completion of the Interstate 505 freeway ramps, U.S. 30 lined Vaughn Street just south of the Montgomery Park building. A former Montgomery Ward Distribution Center built in 1921, Montgomery Park today is an office building renovated in 1989. Montgomery Park is the second office building by volume in Portland.4 09/02/06
Nicolai Street at
Planned West End
(N.W. Yeon Ave) at
/ St. Johns Bridge – Portland, Oregon
West at
/ St. Johns Bridge
/ St. Johns Bridge – West at
Crossing the St. Johns Bridge along U.S. 30 Bypass, the junction with I-505 would have been located at the south end of the span. Instead, the bridge connects with U.S. 30 near Forest Park. Designed by David B. Steinman, the green paint scheme of the St. Johns Bridge to promote harmony with the forest covered hills on the southern bank of the Willamette River.3 09/02/06
Located south of the confluence with the Columbia River, the St. Johns Bridge is the northernmost crossing over the Willamette River. Built in 1931, the St. Johns Bridge deck was rehabilitated in 2005. With a main span of 1,207 feet, the bridge rises 205 feet above the navigable waters below. The St. Johns Bridge is one of three major suspension bridges in the state of Oregon, none of which are on the Interstate Highway System.3 09/02/06
East at
/ St. Johns Bridge
Sources:
- Interstate 50th Anniversary: The Story of Oregon’s Interstates.
- Chris Elbert, email: “Re: NW Interstate Updates at Interstate-guide.com.” March 16, 2005.
http://egov.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/GEOENVIRONMENTAL/docs/Historic_Bridge/Willamette_StJohns_Bridge.doc.http://www.billnaito.com/pages/montgomery.html.
Page updated February 1, 2024.