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 Cherry blossoms blooming inTom McCall Waterfront Park, created with theremoval of the road in 1978 | |
 Interactive map of Harbor Drive | |
| Former name | Front Avenue |
|---|---|
| Maintained by | PBOT |
| Length | 0.7 mi (1.1 km)[1] |
| Location | Portland, Oregon |
| South end |  I-5 inRiverPlace |
| North end |  US 26 / Naito Parkway inDowntown |
| East | Harbor Drive |
| West | Naito Parkway |
| Construction | |
| Completion | 1943 (1943)[2] |
Harbor Drive is a short roadway inPortland, Oregon, spanning a total length of 0.7 miles (1.1 km), which primarily functions as a ramp to and fromInterstate 5. It was once much longer, running along the western edge of theWillamette River in thedowntown area. Originally constructed from 1942–43, the vast majority of the road was replaced withTom McCall Waterfront Park in the 1970s.[3] Signed asU.S. Route 99W, it had been the major route through the city and its removal is often cited as the first instance offreeway removal in the U.S. and as a milestone inurban planning; the original road is remembered as the firstlimited-access highway built in the city.[4]
Harbor Drive opened in stages from 1942 to 1943, with a formal dedication on November 20, 1942, and completion of the last work in 1943.[2] Seventy-nine buildings and houses were demolished, mostly alongFront Avenue, to make room for Harbor Drive.[2] Although the project was criticized for the removal of some historic buildings and for the fact that the new roadway would impede the public's access to the waterfront, most civic organizations supported it, and a majority of the public also indicated its support by approving in 1940 a $1.25 million bond measure (65,000 to 35,000 votes) to help fund the project, which included the city's acquisition of all property between Front Avenue and the river along the stretch from Glisan to Columbia streets.[2]
The roadway was the original route ofUS 99W (locally called "Highway 99W") into downtown Portland from the south.[5] The highway came from Barbur Boulevard and ran through the downtown area via a couplet on 4th and 6th avenues. US 99W then crossed theWillamette River on theBroadway Bridge towards Interstate Avenue, where it headed north to theInterstate Bridge and the city ofVancouver, Washington.
In 1950, acontrolled-access highway, though crude by modern standards, opened and was at least partly known as Harbor Drive. It started with an interchange with Barbur Boulevard, joined the Willamette shore near an interchange with Clay and Market streets, and then ran along the shore to theSteel Bridge. US 99W then crossed the Steel Bridge, and turned north on a controlled-access extension to Interstate Avenue, until it resumed its old routing at an interchange with the Broadway Bridge. It was the first freeway to be completed in Portland, and the only north–south freeway for over a decade.[citation needed]
In 1955, construction was approved on a new series of interchanges at Market and Clay streets to replace the existing at-grade intersections.[6] This was competed in 1958.
One block west of Harbor Drive was Front Avenue, then a minor street, and one block west of that was 1st Avenue. Many industrial and commercial buildings, including thePortland Public Market building, were located between Harbor and Front. Harbor Drive connected to the downtown streets, theHawthorne Bridge and theMorrison Bridge via a series of interchanges.
In 1961, a new freeway (which at the time extended fromEugene toTigard) was completed to the existing Harbor Drive in downtown Portland, and signed asInterstate 5 and (temporarily) asU.S. Route 99. In 1966, theMarquam Bridge and the Minnesota Street Freeway were completed, thus making I-5 a contiguous freeway from theCalifornia toWashington borders, and making Harbor Drive obsolete as a long-haul thoroughfare.
The Olmsted Report (1903) and also the Bennett Plan (1912) had proposed an urbangreenway to preserve the Willamette riverfront; however, the Harbor Drive Freeway restricted pedestrian access to the riverfront in 1943 and theOregon State Highway Department had proposals to extend Harbor Drive.[7] Oregon GovernorTom McCall halted expansion[7] and created a task force to study options for replacing Harbor Drive with apublic place. The task force recommended closure and conversion to a park.[8] During this period, there wasgrowing resistance to the construction of additional proposed freeways both in Portland and elsewhere in the United States. The opening of theFremont Bridge in 1973, which completedInterstate 405, resulted in asecond Interstate through the downtown area, but accomplished a reduction in traffic levels on Harbor Drive. Harbor Drive was permanently closed north of Market Street in May 1974.[5] Construction soon began on a new park,Waterfront Park. In addition, the buildings between Front Avenue and Harbor Drive were demolished, and Front Avenue (since renamedNaito Parkway afterBill Naito, a local businessman and philanthropist) was widened to aboulevard. The southernmost segment of Harbor Drive connecting to I-5 southbound and from I-5 northbound, and has two intermediate intersections withtraffic signals that provide access to theRiverPlace district. As all ramps to/from the continuation of I-5 as well as I-405 exit and enter from the right, it can be thought of as the default route for those traveling on I-5. Few signs identify it as such; the exit signs on the freeway indicate the route leads to Naito Parkway, and directional signs heading south all say "To I-5". One other remnant of Harbor Drive is a small portion of aramp stub from theHawthorne Bridge; the majority of which has been removed due to construction of thenew county courthouse.[9]Waterfront Park opened on the land formerly occupied by the highway in 1978 and is a popular destination for sightseers, picnickers, and homeless campers, as well as a site for civic events such as theRose Festival fun center.
In 2016, a bike lane opened on the road.[10]
In addition to creating a major recreation facility for the city of Portland, the closure of Harbor Drive is widely considered a significant event inurban planning – the first time a freeway had ever been removed without being replaced. It (along with the subsequent cancellation ofInterstate 505 and theMount Hood Freeway) cemented Portland's reputation as a model of pedestrian- and transit-friendly design. Since the completion ofInterstate 205 in the mid 1980s, no new freeways have been built in the city other than a short realignment ofU.S. Route 30 near theFremont Bridge.
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