Oregon Route 43

Oregon Route 43
Oregon Route 43
	Route 43 highlighted in red
Route information
	Maintained byODOT
Length	11.60 mi (18.67 km)
Existed	1939–present
Major junctions
South end	OR 99EinOregon City
	I-205inWest Linn
North end	I-5/US 26inPortland
Location
Country	United States
State	Oregon
Highway system
	Oregon Highways; Interstate; US; State; Named; Scenic;

Oregon Route 43is anOregon state highwaythat runs between the cities ofOregon CityandPortland,mostly along the western flank of theWillamette River.While it is technically known by theOregon Department of Transportationas theOswego Highway No. 3(seeOregon highways and routes), on maps it is referred to by its route number or by the variousstreet namesit has been given.

Route description

The southern terminus of Oregon Route 43 is at a junction withOregon Route 99Ein downtown Oregon City. From there, it runs east for two blocks, along the couplet of Main and Railroad streets, and then turns north and crosses the Willamette River on the historicOregon City Bridge,entering the city ofWest Linn.Almost immediately on the West Linn side of the river is an interchange withInterstate 205.It continues north through West Linn (where it is calledWillamette Drive), providing service to numerous neighborhoods and business districts. Due to constrained geography (the city is mostly located on the sides of a steep slope) and encroaching homes and businesses, the route is only a two-lane road in many stretches.

North of West Linn, the highway passes byMarylhurst University,and enters the city ofLake Oswego.In the southern portions of Lake Oswego, Route 43 is given the street name ofPacific Highway,a designation that usually refers toOregon Route 99(the highway is a historic routing of U.S. Route 99). Soon after, the route crosses over Oswego Creek and enters downtown Lake Oswego, where it is known asSouth State Street(between McVey Avenue and A Avenue) andNorth State Street(between A Avenue and Terwilliger Boulevard). TheWillamette Shore Trolleybegins just south of A Avenue across from the Millennium Plaza Park on South State Street, and parallels Oregon Route 43 as both head north into Portland.

North of downtown Lake Oswego, OR 43 acquires the nameSouth Riverside Drive,and enters a three-lane section (two main lanes and a climbing lane) as it climbs over a hill overlooking the Willamette River. This stretch of OR 43 passes by some of the most exclusive and wealthy neighborhoods (Dunthorpe, Riverwood,Riverdale) in the Portland area. The highway soon enters the city of Portland, where it is known asSouth Macadam Avenue.

Macadam Avenue passes alongside the river for several miles, sandwiched between the river on the east andRiver View Cemeteryon the west. It also passes near (and provides access via South Palatine Hill Road to)Lewis & Clark College.Near the northern end of the cemetery is an interchange with theSellwood Bridge,at which point OR 43 becomes a four-lane divided thoroughfare. Soon afterwards, the highway enters theJohns Landingneighborhood, a narrow strip of homes, parks and businesses located between the river andInterstate 5,high on the hill above it. The area is home toOregon Public Broadcastingand the Portland offices and studios ofClear Channel Communications,as well as a local landmark, The Water Tower. Oregon Route 43 and the freeway run parallel for several miles until an interchange with I-5 andU.S. Route 26near theRoss Island Bridge.

History

What is now Oregon Route 43 was once the original route ofU.S. Route 99in the south Portland area. Now,Oregon Route 99Eis routed on the east side of the river (through Oregon City,Gladstone,andMilwaukie); and OR 99W is routed further west (throughTigard,Sherwood,andNewberg).

Oregon Route 212,which used to run as far west as the Sherwood/King Cityarea, was concurrent with Oregon Route 43 across the Oregon City/West Linn bridge. This old alignment of OR 212 still exists, running west along Willamette Falls Drive, just north of the bridge (and just south of the interchange with I-205), continuing on toTualatin.

TheOregon Department of Transportationoffered a $3.5 million payment to Clackamas County if it agreed to takeover a 6-mile (9.7 km) section of OR 43, but was rejected. ODOT also abandoned plans to transfer sections of the highway to Multnomah County and the City of Portland.^[1]

Major intersections

County	Location	mi^[2]	km	Destinations	Notes
Clackamas	Oregon City	11.55	18.59	Main Street
	Willamette River	11.55– 11.39	18.59– 18.33	Oregon City Bridge
	West Linn	11.35	18.27	Willamette Falls Drive –Willamettearea	Former routing ofOR 212
	West Linn	11.29– 11.13	18.17– 17.91	I-205–Salem	Exit 8 on I-205
Multnomah	Portland	2.71	4.36	Sellwood Bridge	Interchange; toOR 99E
		0.60	0.97	ToI-5north –South Waterfront	Southbound U-turn ramp
		0.59	0.95	I-5south –Salem	Interchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance; exit 299A on I-5
		0.13	0.21	I-5north toI-84east –Seattle	Interchange; northbound exit and southbound entrance; exit 299A on I-5
		0.08	0.13	I-5south /US 26east (Ross Island Bridge) –Salem	Northbound u-turn ramp
		0.00	0.00	US 26west –City Center	Interchange
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Incomplete access