Terwilliger curves

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Northbound view onto the Terwilliger curves from Terwilliger Boulevard Terwilliger curves.jpg
Northbound view onto the Terwilliger curves from Terwilliger Boulevard

The "Terwilliger curves" is the name given to a 1.7-mile (2.7 km), six-lane section of Interstate 5 (I-5) in Portland, Oregon, known as one of the most dangerous stretches of highway in the state. Named for its physical characteristics and proximity to Terwilliger Boulevard, it first opened in 1961 and soon became known for its high accident rate. Several upgrades, a reduction in the speed limit, and increased efforts to enforce traffic laws have had some success improving safety over the years, although accidents remain common.

Interstate 5 (I-5) in the U.S. state of Oregon is a major Interstate Highway that traverses the state from north to south. It travels to the west of the Cascade Mountains, connecting Portland to Salem, Eugene, Medford, and other major cities in the Willamette Valley and across the northern Siskiyou Mountains. The highway runs 308 miles (496 km) from the California state line near Ashland to the Washington state line in northern Portland, forming the central part of Interstate 5's route between Mexico and Canada.

Portland, Oregon City in Oregon, United States

Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Multnomah County. It is a major port in the Willamette Valley region of the Pacific Northwest, at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers. As of 2017, Portland had an estimated population of 647,805, making it the 26th-largest city in the United States, and the second-most populous in the Pacific Northwest. Approximately 2.4 million people live in the Portland metropolitan statistical area (MSA), making it the 25th most populous MSA in the United States. Its Combined Statistical Area (CSA) ranks 18th-largest with a population of around 3.2 million. Approximately 60% of Oregon's population resides within the Portland metropolitan area.

Terwilliger Boulevard

Terwilliger Boulevard is a street in Portland, Oregon, U.S. It begins at southwest 6th Avenue and Interstate 405 near Portland State University. It passes through the neighborhoods of Marquam Hill, Southwest Hills, and Burlingame and by Lewis and Clark College before ending at Oregon Route 43 in Lake Oswego. For portions of its route, it is a traditional parkway through Duniway and Marquam Parks. The land surrounding Terwilliger Boulevard is heavily wooded in nature.

Contents

Characteristics

The Terwilliger curves comprise less than two miles (3.2 km) of I-5 between the Willamette River and bluffs of Southwest Portland. [1] The area is described in most media accounts as covering 1.7 miles (2.7 km) from 26th Avenue to Iowa Street, [2] although some sources place it between Spring Garden and Iowa streets. [1] In 2005, an average of 132,603 drivers passed through the curves each day. [3]

Willamette River major river in northwest Oregon

The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is 187 miles (301 km) long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward between the Oregon Coast Range and the Cascade Range, the river and its tributaries form the Willamette Valley, a basin that contains two-thirds of Oregon's population, including the state capital, Salem, and the state's largest city, Portland, which surrounds the Willamette's mouth at the Columbia.

The road's curve changes "five times in just over a mile [1.6 km]", [1] and conditions are further complicated by speeding drivers, [4] high centers of gravity in modern vehicles (particularly SUVs), [1] "poorly banked curves" and occasional accumulated precipitation. [5] According to Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) engineering manager Walt Bartel, the curves are the "only stretch of I-5 where you can't see far enough ahead to safely drive faster than 55 [mph (90 km/h)]". [6]

Sport utility vehicle type of automobile

Sport-utility (vehicle), SUV or sport-ute is an automotive classification, typically a kind of station wagon / estate car with off-road vehicle features like raised ground clearance and ruggedness, and available four-wheel drive. Many SUVs are built on a light-truck chassis but operated as a family vehicle, and though designed to be used on rougher surfaces, most often used on city streets or highways. In recent years, in some countries the term SUV has replaced terms like "Jeep" or "Land-Rover" in the popular lexicon as a generic description for light 4WD vehicles.

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is a department of the state government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for systems of transportation. It was first established in 1969. It had been preceded by the Oregon State Highway Department which, along with the Oregon State Highway Commission, was created by an act of the Oregon Legislative Assembly in 1913. It works closely with the five-member Oregon Transportation Commission in managing the state's transportation systems.

Reputation

The Terwilliger curves are "notorious" [7] for being one of the "most accident-prone stretches" of I-5 in Oregon, and a "flash point for crashes, congestion and commuter frustration". [1] ODOT traffic safety data from 1991 to 1993 found the Terwilliger curves had 272 accidents for 1.15 accidents per 1 million vehicle miles traveled (0.71 accidents per 1 million km). [8] A later study showed there were an average of 100 crashes per year between 1995 and 2005. [1] The phrase "Terwilliger curves" appears to have been first used by The Oregonian in a January 1988 report noting three car accidents on a foggy Sunday. [9] The term has since been adopted to name a thoroughbred race horse [10] [11] and an indie rock band. [12]

<i>The Oregonian</i> Largest newspaper in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, published in Portland, Oregon since 1850.

The Oregonian is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850, and published daily since 1861. It is the largest newspaper in Oregon and the second largest in the Pacific Northwest by circulation. It is one of the few newspapers with a statewide focus in the United States. The Sunday edition is published under the title The Sunday Oregonian. The regular edition was published under the title The Morning Oregonian from 1861 until 1937.

Thoroughbred Horse breed developed for racing

The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are considered "hot-blooded" horses that are known for their agility, speed, and spirit.

Indie rock is a genre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1970s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produced and was initially used interchangeably with alternative rock. As grunge and punk revival bands in the US and Britpop bands in the UK broke into the mainstream in the 1990s, it came to be used to identify those acts that retained an outsider and underground perspective. In the 2000s, as a result of changes in the music industry and the growing importance of the Internet, some indie rock acts began to enjoy commercial success, leading to questions about its meaningfulness as a term.

Construction and improvements

View of the curves from Terwilliger Boulevard looking south Terwilliger curves from Terwilliger Boulevard looking south - Portland, Oregon.JPG
View of the curves from Terwilliger Boulevard looking south

The stretch of road now called the Terwilliger curves was first proposed as the "final segment" of I-5 in Oregon in the early 1950s, during a period of time when the completion of the Interstate Highway System sparked competition among state governments. Limited by "steep cliffs and unstable ground", preventing a straight line through the hills, [1] [6] Oregon state highway engineer R.H. "Sam" Baldock recommended the "twisty course" to a state panel in 1952. Although not an ideal path according to federal guidelines, "intense" pressure existed to lessen the burden on nearby Barbur Boulevard. Baldock advised that the panel should "act quickly" or real estate developers would "snap up" the properties, and the relevant authorities agreed to move forward. [1]

Interstate Highway System United States highway system

The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. The system is named for President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who championed its formation. Construction was authorized by the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, and the original portion was completed 35 years later, although some urban routes were cancelled and never built. The network has since been extended. In 2016, it had a total length of 48,181 miles (77,540 km). As of 2016, about one-quarter of all vehicle miles driven in the country use the Interstate system. In 2006, the cost of construction was estimated at about $425 billion.

1960s to early 1990s

As early as 1970, state highway engineers reported that the area's accident rate exceeded the state average by 50 percent, declaring it one of the "five worst sections" for freeway accidents in the state. Between the 1970s and early 1990s, the state installed concrete dividers, lengthened entrance and exit ramps, and added guardrails, rumble strips, and reinforced barriers. The Terwilliger Boulevard interchange was rebuilt in 1992 to accommodate traffic flow. [1]

Rumble strip road safety feature

Rumble strips, also known as sleeper lines, alert strips, audible lines, sleepy bumps, wake up calls, growlers, drift lines, and drunk bumps, are a road safety feature to alert inattentive drivers of potential danger, by causing a tactile vibration and audible rumbling transmitted through the wheels into the vehicle interior. A rumble strip is applied along the direction of travel following an edgeline or centerline, to alert drivers when they drift from their lane. Rumble strips may also be installed in a series across the direction of travel, to warn drivers of a stop or slowdown ahead, or of an approaching danger spot.

According to The Oregonian, in the late 1980s a plan was drawn up by an ODOT engineer proposing gentler curves near Terwilliger Boulevard and Brier Place. However, the plan would interfere with a city park and existing homes in the neighborhood, making it politically infeasible. [1]

Mid-1990s

In November 1995, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB), Oregon State Police (OSP), ODOT, and a local neighborhood association launched a "multipronged plan" to improve safety in the Terwilliger curves. [13] Among the initiatives: lowering the speed limit from 55 to 50 mph (90 to 80 km/h), [14] posting "better-illuminated signs" alerting drivers to dangers, increased enforcement of traffic laws, and the approval of $31,000 [13] (including private, state and federal funds) for the creation of six parking pads to boost the police presence. [14] In addition, the OSP announced "plans to put planes in the air twice a month to monitor traffic". [13]

In the two months following, more than 1,100 tickets were handed out to motorists, mostly for speeding. [15] Seven months later, having handed out more than 3,000 tickets, Portland police reported an 80 percent reduction in accident rates. [2]

According to ODOT, traffic accidents were cut in half during the first year of the program; just 15 calls to 9-1-1 regarding accidents in the Terwilliger curves were made in November 1996, compared to 48 in November 1995. [14] The following year, Portland police reported an overall increase in traffic citations was mostly due to photo radar in the Terwilliger curves, issuing more than 5,400 citations from November 1995 to October 1996. [16] However, when police reduced their patrols, accident reports rose once again. [1]

2000s to present day

Beginning in 2004, a $23 million "safety improvement project" was begun, installing "flashing yellow warning lights at the north end of the curves", repaving the road, adding "reflective road striping" and renovations to nine concrete slabs for PPD squad cars to park and "aim their radar guns". PPD officer Tom Larson, nicknamed "Terwilliger Tom" for his patrol of the area, has described it as a situation without a solution: "No matter how hard you enforce the limit, there's always gonna be a numbskull coming by and screwing it up." [1]

In 2005, state officials said there are "no plans for extensive work" on the road in the next 20 years, noting that only two deaths occurred in the area in the previous 18 years. [1]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Lednicer, Lisa Grace (February 22, 2005). "Commuters' nightmare". The Oregonian . Portland, OR. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  2. 1 2 Pratt, Chastity (June 14, 1996). "Accident rate drops 80% on risky I-5 curves". The Oregonian. Portland, OR. p. C3. ISSN   8750-1317.
  3. ↑ Rose, Joseph (February 14, 2011). "More traffic in Portland? It sure feels that way to many commuters, even if all the experts don't agree". The Oregonian. Portland, OR. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  4. ↑ Kleckner, Michael (June 7, 2007). "Psst! The Terwilliger Curves are dangerous". The Oregonian. Portland, OR. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  5. ↑ Kesselheim, Alan (May 3, 2007). "Around the bend". Missoula Independent . Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  6. 1 2 Anderson, David R. (July 26, 1995). "Terrible Terwilliger". The Oregonian. Portland, OR. p. A1. ISSN   8750-1317.
  7. ↑ "Big rig rollover bottles up northbound Terwilliger Curves". Portland, OR: KATU-TV. October 28, 2010. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Terwilliger curves accidents". The Oregonian. Portland, OR. July 26, 1995. ISSN   8750-1317.[ page needed ]
  9. ↑ Painter Jr., John (January 18, 1988). "Icy roads cause spate of accidents". The Oregonian. Portland, OR. p. B2. ISSN   8750-1317.
  10. ↑ "Portland Meadows Results Friday, Feb 18, 2000". Associated Press. February 19, 2000.
  11. ↑ "Terwilliger Curves, Thoroughbred". All Breed Database. Pedigree Online. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  12. ↑ "Brother Elf, Terwilliger Curves, Lisa Savidge". Willamette Week . April 7, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  13. 1 2 3 Tomlinson, Stuart (November 18, 1995). "Drivers on Terwilliger curves draw 140 tickets". The Oregonian. Portland, OR. p. C1. ISSN   8750-1317.
  14. 1 2 3 Oliver, Gordon (December 23, 1996). "Accidents in Terwilliger curves tumble with tougher enforcement". The Oregonian. Portland, OR. p. B2. ISSN   8750-1317.
  15. ↑ "Crackdown reduces speeds in notorious Terwilliger curves". The Oregonian. Portland, OR. January 23, 1996. ISSN   8750-1317.[ page needed ]
  16. ↑ Anderson, David R. (November 12, 1996). "Webfoots turn leadfoots". The Oregonian. Portland, OR. ISSN   8750-1317.[ page needed ]

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