U.S. Route 730 (US 730) is an east–west United States Highway, of which all but 6.08 miles of its 41.78 miles (9.78 of 67.24 km) are within the state of Oregon. The highway starts in rural Morrow County in Eastern Oregon at an interchange with Interstate 84 (I-84) and US 30, located east of the city of Boardman. US 730 travels east along the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

as a continuation of Columbia River Highway No. 2 into Umatilla County, intersecting

I-82 Interstate 82 (I-82) is an Interstate Highway in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States that travels through parts of Washington and Oregon. It runs from its northwestern terminus at I-90 in Ellensburg, Washington, to its southeaste ...

and US 395 in the city of Umatilla. US 730 and US 395 form a short

concurrency Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...

within the city before the highways part, with US 730 continuing northeast into Washington. The highway travels through rural

Walla Walla County Walla Walla County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 62,584. The county seat and largest city is Walla Walla. The county was formed on April 25, 1854 and is named after the Walla Wall ...

and ends at an intersection with US 12 south of

Wallula Wallula () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Walla Walla County, Washington, United States. The population was 179 at the 2010 census. History The Lewis and Clark Expedition reached this area April 27, 1806, on their return journey from the P ...

. US 730 was created with the original United States Highways on November 11, 1926, traveling on the existing Columbia River Highway, established in 1917, from US 30 in Umatilla to US 410 south of Wallula. The Washington section of US 730 was added to the state highway system in 1923 as a branch of

State Road 3 The following highways are numbered 3, H-3, PRI-3, AH3, E03 and R3. For roads numbered A3, see A3 roads. For roads numbered M3, see M3 (disambiguation)#Roads, M3. For roads numbered N3, see N3 (disambiguation)#Roads, N3. For roads numbered 3A, see ...

, later becoming a branch of Primary State Highway 3 (PSH 3) in 1937. The highway was concurrent with US 395 from 1937 until 1985, traveling from Cold Springs Junction to US 410. US 30 was moved to a new route bypassing Umatilla and Irrigon in 1946, allowing for US 730 to be extended southwest to Boardman, later to an interchange with I-84.

Route description

US 730 runs in Oregon and Washington and is listed as part of the National Highway System, a system of roads crucial to the nation's economy, defense and mobility, from its western terminus at

I-84 Interstate 84 may refer to: * Interstate 84 (Oregon–Utah), passing through Idaho, formerly known as Interstate 80N * Interstate 84 (Pennsylvania–Massachusetts) Interstate 84 (I-84) is an Interstate Highway in the Northeaster ...

east of Boardman to the end of its concurrency with US 395 in Umatilla. As a

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

in both states, the roadway is maintained by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). US 730 has the highest designation of any United States Numbered Highway, or U.S. route, and is the shortest existing highway in the system. The highway is defined by the

Washington State Legislature The Washington State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a bicameral body, composed of the lower Washington House of Representatives, composed of 98 Representatives, and the upper Washington State Senat ...

as SR 730, part of the Revised Code of Washington as
47.17.821

Oregon

US 730 begins at a

partial cloverleaf interchange A partial cloverleaf interchange or parclo is a modification of a cloverleaf interchange. The design has been well received, and has since become one of the most popular freeway-to-arterial interchange designs in North America. It has also bee ...

with I-84 and US 30 at Boardman Junction, located east of the city of Boardman in Morrow County. The highway, a continuation of Columbia River Highway No. 2, travels northeast across a Union Pacific rail line and passes the Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge on the

before reaching the city of Irrigon. From Irrigon, US 730 continues northeast along the Columbia River into Umatilla County and becomes 6th Street in the city of Umatilla. The highway intersects

and US 395 in a diamond interchange and forms a short concurrency with US 395. US 730 continues east through the unincorporated community of McNary and the northern terminus of Oregon Route 207 (OR 207) in rural Umatilla County. The highway turns northeastward along Lake Wallula and intersects OR 37 at Cold Springs Junction, providing connections north to the Warehouse Beach Recreation Area and

Hat Rock State Park Hat Rock State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Oregon, administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. The park is located off the east side of U.S. Highway 730 in Hermiston, on the south shore of Lake Wallula behind McN ...

on the Columbia River and south to the city of

Pendleton Pendleton may refer to: Places ;United Kingdom *Pendleton, Lancashire, England *Pendleton, Greater Manchester, England ;United States *Pendleton, Indiana * Pendleton, Missouri *Pendleton, New York *Pendleton, Oregon *Pendleton, South Carolina *Pe ...

. US 730 heads into Washington, traveling between a Union Pacific rail line and the canyon walls of the Columbia River Gorge. An ODOT survey measuring traffic volume for any average day of the year, expressed in terms of annual average daily traffic (AADT), was conducted in 2011 on US 730 and calculated that the busiest section of the highway in Oregon was at its interchange with I-82, serving 11,800 vehicles, while the least busy section of the highway was at the Washington state line, serving 2,500 vehicles.

Washington

US 730 continues north from Oregon along Lake Wallula and around Clover Hill, reaching Wallula Junction in

. The highway intersects its

spur route A spur route is a short road forming a branch from a longer, more important road such as a freeway, Interstate Highway, or motorway. A bypass or beltway should not be considered a true spur route as it typically reconnects with another or the s ...

and turns east towards its eastern terminus at US 12 south of the community of

. Every year, WSDOT conducts a series of surveys on its highways in the state to measure traffic volume, expressed in terms of AADT. In 2012, WSDOT calculated that the Washington section of US 730 served between 1,500 and 2,400 vehicles per day.

History

The highway that became US 730 within Oregon has been designated by the

Oregon State Highway Commission 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 Depart ...

as the easternmost segment of Columbia River Highway No. 2 since November 27, 1917, created as part of the initial named state highway system. The segment of US 730 within Washington was added to the state highway system in 1923 as a branch of

and kept its designation as a branch of PSH 3 during the creation of the primary and secondary highway system in 1937. The United States Highway System was adopted on November 11, 1926, by the

American Association of State Highway Officials The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test protocols, and guidelines that are used in highway design and construction throughout the United St ...

(AASHO) and included US 730, traveling northeast along the Columbia River from US 30 in Umatilla to US 410 south of Wallula. The highway was originally planned to be numbered as US 420, but was changed after US 30 was substituted in place of US 20 along the Columbia River. US 395 was extended south from Spokane, Washington, to San Diego, California, in 1937, becoming concurrent with US 730 between Cold Springs Junction and its eastern terminus at US 410 south of Wallula. US 30 was moved to a new section of the Old Oregon Trail Highway No. 6, bypassing the cities of Irrigon and Umatilla, on November 25, 1946. US 730 was subsequently extended west to a new junction with US 30 and later relocated uphill due to the construction of the

John Day Dam The John Day Dam is a concrete gravity run-of-the-river dam spanning the Columbia River in the northwestern United States. The dam features a navigation lock plus fish ladders on both sides. The John Day Lock has the highest lift (at ) of any U.S. ...

. The highway's western terminus was moved further south to an interchange with I-80N in 1967. During the westward extension of US 12 from Idaho into Washington, the Oregon state government suggested to the AASHO a route that included the entirety of US 730 in 1962, while Washington state suggested routing US 12 over US 410 and Washington State Route 12 (SR 12) to Vancouver, Washington. The AASHO approved the extension of US 12 into Washington on June 20, 1967, routing it along US 410 and SR 14 to its present terminus in Aberdeen. US 395 was re-aligned to a concurrency with I-82 in 1985, crossing the Columbia River on the Umatilla Bridge and having a shorter concurrency with US 730. The old route of US 395 from Cold Springs Junction to Pendleton, part of Pendleton-Cold Springs Highway No. 36, became Oregon Route 37. The highway's eastern terminus in Wallula is planned to be moved further north to a new interchange with US 12 after the completion of the

Burbank Burbank may refer to: Places Australia * Burbank, Queensland, a suburb in Brisbane United States * Burbank, California, a city in Los Angeles County * Burbank, Santa Clara County, California, a census-designated place * Burbank, Illinois, ...

– Walla Walla divided highway in the 2020s.

Spur route

US 730 has a

in rural Walla Walla County that connects it to US 12 westbound towards Wallula, while US 730 is directed towards eastbound US 12 towards the city of Walla Walla. WSDOT included the road in its annual AADT survey in 2012 and calculated that 1,300 vehicles used the spur route.

Major intersections

Notes

References

External links

*
US 730 at US Highway Ends

{{DEFAULTSORT:U.S. Route 30-7 30-7 7 30-7 30-7 Transportation in Morrow County, Oregon Transportation in Umatilla County, Oregon Transportation in Walla Walla County, Washington