Seven people died in vehicle accidents along Oregon Route 6 last year. That’s the same number of fatalities recorded during the entire five-year period between 2016 and 2020, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation. The road, much of it two lanes, passes from the Willamette Valley near Banks, over the Coast Range and to Tillamook.
All of the 2021 fatalities involved lane departures. Now, the state is making concerted efforts to reduce dangers along the stretch of road.
An ODOT road camera shows Oregon Route 6 in April
Oregon Dept. of Transportation
This past legislative session, Oregon lawmakers passed House Bill 4053, which requires ODOT to conduct a study of Route 6, otherwise known as the Wilson River Highway, and recommend improvements to the legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation.
“Highway 6, is an area that we’ve had our eye on for a little while,” ODOT spokesperson Don Hamilton told OPB.
The report must include an assessment of the condition of Route 6, recommendations for improving conditions, and a cost estimate for the improvements.
Hamilton said that the study will not impact travelers on the highway, but will include looking at accident reports and talking to people who live near the corridor.
“It’s twisting and steep,” Hamilton said. “Throughout the year, it gets a little bit of everything; snow and ice, rain and slides.”
Earlier this year, ODOT announced new highway safety signs on OR 6 in an effort to improve safety by reminding motorists about driving safely on this 49-mile stretch of road.
The signs include 45 mph advisory speed signs on a bumpy stretch of OR 6, and signs at some curves with poor visibility advising of school bus stops ahead.
In a press release, ODOT regional manager Sonny Chickering said Oregonians “must recognize OR 6 is not a high-speed facility and adjust our driving habits accordingly. This is a rural, mountainous road with narrow sections and low-speed curves that traverse several major and active slide areas.”
ODOT has until Sept. 15, 2023, to present its findings to the transportation committee.