Highlighted Project:‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ U.S. 26 Wapinitia Pass – Warm Springs

The U.S. 26 corridor near Warm Springs has seen increases in both traffic volume and vehicle speeds. This corridor is a main route connecting Portland to Central Oregon and climbs toward the base of Mount Hood. The highway has many curves, narrow shoulders and vegetation close to the roadway which make driving conditions dangerous at times. 

Crashes where vehicles leave the roadway make up a large share of total crashes along this corridor—about 62%. A road safety audit completed in 2023 reviewed crash data from 2017 to 2021. During that five-year period, there were 207 total crashes, including 16 fatal and 11 severe injury crashes. These crashes resulted in 19 deaths and 22 people seriously injured.

To improve overall safety and driving conditions, ODOT will remove fixed objects such as poles, signs, trees, ditches, etc., within the clear zone (road shoulder) along this roadway. Many crashes within the project area have involved vehicles hitting fixed objects, so removing hazard trees and other obstacles in the clear zone is expected to reduce the severity of crashes and improve visibility. 

In addition, ODOT will install shoulder rumble strips to help prevent roadway departure crashes. Because rural highways often have higher speeds, these crashes are more likely to cause serious injuries or fatalities. The new rumble strips will work together with the recently added curve warning signs to further improve safety and reduce lane departure crashes.