 Oregon Route 6 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Route 6 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained byODOT | ||||
| Length | 51.25 mi[1] (82.48 km) | |||
| Existed | 1942 (Rerouted 1957)–present | |||
| Component highways | Wilson River Highway No. 37 | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |   US 101 /OR 131 inTillamook | |||
| Major intersections |  OR 47 nearBanks | |||
| East end |  US 26 near Banks | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Oregon | |||
| Counties | Tillamook,Washington | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
Oregon Route 6 is astate highway in theU.S. state ofOregon that runs between the city ofTillamook on theOregon Coast, to theWillamette Valley, nearBanks. OR 6 traverses theWilson River Highway No. 37 of the Oregon state highway system,[2] named after theriver paralleling the highway's western segment.
OR 6 begins (at its western terminus) at a junction withU.S. Route 101 andOregon Route 131 in downtownTillamook. From there it winds eastward though theNorthern Oregon Coast Range along theWilson River, and through a portion of theTillamook State Forest. The stretch through the Coast Range is well known for its scenic beauty (as well as frequent accidents; the highway is a highly traveled route despite numerous twists and turns and steep grades). Emerging from the Coast Range, it passes through a few foothill communities. At the base of the Coast Range,Oregon Route 8 forks off to the east, heading towards the communities ofGales Creek andForest Grove; whereas OR 6 continues to the northeast. OR 6 soon passes south of the city ofBanks, where it has an interchange with theNehalem Highway (OR 47), andWilkesboro. A few miles east of Banks, OR 6 ends at an interchange withU.S. Route 26, theSunset Highway. Travelers generally continue east on US 26 (which is a freeway east of the interchange) intoPortland.
OR 6 passes through some of the areas devastated during theTillamook Burn, a series of fires that occurred in the 1930s, 1940s, and early 1950s in easternTillamook County.
During theGreat Depression workers from theWorks Progress Administration assisted in the construction of the road.[3] Before 1957, OR 6 included the entirety of today'sOregon Route 8, plus an additional stretch into downtown Portland. With the completion of the Sunset Highway (and the new alignment through Banks), the route through Gales Creek and theTualatin Valley was renumbered as OR 8; and OR 6 was placed on the alignment it has today.
The section fromGlenwood east to the US 26 junction was a former and temporary routing of US 26, continuing north through Timber. This routing was used by US 26 while the final stretch was completed.
In 2022, the state legislature passed a law that requires theOregon Department of Transportation to conduct a survey of the highway to reduce hazardous road designs. This came in response to seven fatalities in the previous year and other collisions, many of which involved "lane departures".[4]
Milepoints are as reported by ODOT and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. Z indicates overlapping mileage due to construction longer than established route, and – indicates negative mileage behind established beginning point.[5] Segments that are locally maintained may be omitted. For routes traversing multiple named state highways, each milepoint is preceded by the corresponding state highway number.
| County | Location[1] | Milepoint[1] | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tillamook | Tillamook | 0.00 |  US 101 north –Bay City,Astoria US 101 south –Hebo,Newport OR 131 west –Netarts,Oceanside,Cape Lookout State Park, Cape Meares | ||
| | 32.85 | Summit, elevation 1,586 feet (483 m) | |||
| Washington | Gales Creek | 38.87 | Timber Road (north) –Gales Creek,Timber | Leads to – north ofTimber. | |
| | 42.28 |   OR 8 east (Gales Creek Road) –Forest Grove | |||
| | 49.09 | OR 47 –Banks,Forest Grove | |||
| | 51.62 | US 26 –North Plains,Portland | Interchange | ||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
