Oregon Route 22 is an

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

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 ...

that runs between the

Oregon Coast The Oregon Coast is a coastal region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to its west and the Oregon Coast Range to the east, and stretches approximately from the California state border in the south to the Columbia ...

community of

Hebo Hebo () is the god of the Yellow River (''Huang He''). The Yellow River is the main river of northern China, one of the world's major rivers and a river of great cultural importance in China. This is reflected in Chinese mythology by the tales su ...

, to an interchange with

U.S. Route 20 U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England. The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major coast-to-coast route. S ...

near

Santiam Pass Santiam is a place name of the U.S. state of Oregon, referring to the indigenous Santiam people. It may refer to: * Santiam Academy * Santiam Hospital * Santiam Junction, Oregon * Santiam Junction State Airport * Santiam Pass Santiam is a place nam ...

in the

Cascade Mountains The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...

. OR 22 traverses several highways of the Oregon state highway system, including the Three Rivers Highway No. 32, part of the Salmon River Highway No. 39, the Willamina–Salem Highway No. 30, part of the Salem Highway No. 72, and the North Santiam Highway No. 162.

Route description

Three Rivers Highway

Oregon Route 22 begins (at its western terminus) at a junction with

U.S. Route 101 U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States. It is also known as (The Royal Roa ...

in the coastal town of Hebo. The first section, known as the Three Rivers Highway No. 32, is a mostly scenic route; however, it is narrow and winding, and not well-suited for high-volume traffic. Little or no shoulder with an abrupt dropoff, few guardrails, no lighting, lack of adequate warning signs, and neglected paint lines in some areas, contribute to the treacherous conditions. Drivers may encounter logging trucks in the narrow two-lane road as well After passing Dolph Junction, OR 22 winds eastward though the coast range along Sourgrass Creek, a tributary of the

Little Nestucca River The Little Nestucca River is a river, approximately long, on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast of northwest Oregon in the United States. It drains an area of the Central Oregon Coast Range west of the Willamette Valley. It rises in the Van Duzer ...

, until it reaches the community of Grand Ronde. There, it joins with

Oregon Route 18 Oregon Route 18 is a state highway that runs between the Oregon Coast, near Lincoln City, Oregon, Lincoln City, and Newberg, Oregon, Newberg. OR 18 traverses the Salmon River Highway No. 39 of the Oregon state highway system, named af ...

at a location known as Valley Junction, and overlaps OR 18 along part of the

Salmon River Highway Oregon Route 18 is a state highway that runs between the Oregon Coast, near Lincoln City, and Newberg. OR 18 traverses the Salmon River Highway No. 39 of the Oregon state highway system, named after the river alongside its westernm ...

No. 39 in an approximately stretch between Grand Ronde and Willamina, at which point OR 22 heads southeast towards

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...

, while OR 18 goes northeast towards the

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

area. The portion from Hebo to Grand Ronde was formerly signed as OR 14.

Willamina-Salem Highway

The stretch between Willamina and Salem is known as the Willamina-Salem Highway No. 30. Between Willamina and

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, it is a mostly two-lane highway; unlike the stretch between Hebo and Grand Ronde, this part of OR 22 is a major freight corridor. In the Dallas/ Rickreall area are intersections with

Oregon Route 223 Oregon Route 223 is a state highway in the U.S. State of Oregon, which runs between the town of Wren, Oregon and the city of Dallas, Oregon. It is known as the Kings Valley Highway No. 191 (see Oregon highways and routes) and is long. It lie ...

and

Oregon Route 99W Oregon Route 99W is a state-numbered route in Oregon, United States, that runs from OR 99 and OR 99E in Junction City north to I-5 in southwestern Portland. Some signage continues it north to US 26 near downtown, but most signage agrees with ...

, along with a spur route of OR 223 further to the west. East of the OR 223 interchange, OR 22 is an

expressway Expressway may refer to: * Controlled-access highway, the highest-grade type of highway with access ramps, lane markings, etc., for high-speed traffic. * Limited-access road, a lower grade of highway or arterial road. *Expressway, the fictional s ...

into Salem; there is a project being planned to upgrade much of this stretch of OR 22 to

freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...

standards.Project 22

Polk County, Oregon Polk County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 87,433. The county seat is Dallas. The county is named for James Knox Polk, the 11th president of the United States. Polk County is ...

Between Dallas and

, OR 22 intersects two other highways:

Oregon Route 51 Oregon Route 51 is an Oregon state highway running between Monmouth, Oregon and an intersection with Oregon Route 22 west of Salem. OR 51 traverses several highways of the Oregon state highway system: the Monmouth–Independence Highway N ...

and

Oregon Route 221 Oregon Route 221 is an Oregon state highway which runs between the city of Salem, Oregon and the city of Dayton, Oregon, roughly along the western shore of the Willamette River. It is known as the Salem-Dayton Highway No. 150 (see Oregon highway ...

. Immediately beyond the interchange with OR 221 is the

Marion Street Bridge The Marion Street Bridge is an automobile bridge located in Salem, Oregon, United States. It spans the Willamette River to connect Salem and West Salem, and acts as a conduit for Oregon Route 22. The bridge carries vehicular traffic one way west ...

across the

Willamette River 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 long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward b ...

, and downtown Salem.

Salem area

After crossing the bridge, OR 22 (along with OR 99E Business, which it joins) heads south along Front Street for a few blocks, then east past

Willamette University Willamette University is a private liberal arts college with locations in Salem and Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest college in the Western United States. Originally named the Oregon Institute, the school was an unaffiliated ...

. At the eastern edge of the Willamette campus, an interchange carries the highway to Mission Street; OR 22 and OR 99E Business continue east on Mission Street (which is really an urban

), past the Salem airport to an interchange with

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels through the states of Califor ...

and

Oregon Route 99E Oregon Route 99E is an Oregon state highway that runs between Junction City, Oregon and an interchange with I-5 just south of the Oregon/Washington border, in Portland. It, along with OR 99W, makes up a split of OR 99 in the northern part of th ...

. OR 99E Business ends here; OR 22 continues to the east. This portion of OR 22 is part of the Salem Highway No. 72.

North Santiam Highway

East of the I-5 interchange, OR 22 is known as the North Santiam Highway No. 162. This section of OR 22 is a major transportation corridor; and is a primary route between Salem and the central

Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley ( ) is a long valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the east, ...

, and

Central Oregon Central Oregon is a geographic region in the U.S. state of Oregon and is traditionally considered to be made up of Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook counties. Other definitions include larger areas, often encompassing areas to the north towards the ...

. Between I-5 and

Stayton Stayton is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States, located southeast of the state capital, Salem, on Oregon Route 22. It is south of Sublimity and east of Aumsville. Located on the North Santiam River, Stayton is a regional agricultu ...

; OR 22 is a

: a

four-lane undivided freeway A two-lane expressway or two-lane freeway is an Limited-access road, expressway or freeway with only one lane (road), lane in each direction, and usually no Jersey barrier, median barrier. It may be built that way because of constraints, or may b ...

between I-5 and Aumsville; a traditional divided freeway between Aumsville and Stayton, and a

two-lane freeway A two-lane expressway or two-lane freeway is an expressway or freeway with only one lane in each direction, and usually no median barrier. It may be built that way because of constraints, or may be intended for expansion once traffic volumes ris ...

in the Stayton/

Sublimity In aesthetics, the sublime (from the Latin '' sublīmis'') is the quality of greatness, whether physical, moral, intellectual, metaphysical, aesthetic, spiritual, or artistic. The term especially refers to a greatness beyond all possibility ...

area. The highway continues east, along the northern bank of the

Santiam River The Santiam River is a tributary of the Willamette River, about long, in western Oregon in the United States. Through its two principal tributaries, the North Santiam and the South Santiam rivers, it drains a large area of the Cascade Range a ...

, through the community of

Mehama Mehama ( Bactrian: ''Meyam'', Brahmi: ''Me-ha-ma''), ruled c.461-493, was a king of Alchon Huns dynasty. He is little known, but the Talagan copper scroll mentions him as an active ruler making a donation to a Buddhist stupa in 492/93.For an imag ...

and the cities of Mill City,

Gates Gates is the plural of gate, a point of entry to a space which is enclosed by walls. It may also refer to: People * Gates (surname), various people with the last name * Gates Brown (1939-2013), American Major League Baseball player * Gates McFadde ...

, and

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

. The highway passes numerous hydroelectric dams, including the ruins of an early 20th-century dam at

Niagara County Park Niagara County Park is a park located in the U.S. state of Oregon on the North Santiam River, 40 miles (64 km) east of Salem on the North Santiam Highway, Oregon Route 22. It is 7 miles (11 km) east of Mill City. The park protects th ...

and the mid-20th century

Detroit Dam Detroit Dam is a gravity dam on the North Santiam River between Linn County and Marion County, Oregon. It is located in the Cascades, about west of the city of Detroit. It was constructed between 1949 and 1953 by the United States Army Corps o ...

which forms much-visited

Detroit Lake Detroit Lake is a reservoir impounded by the Detroit Dam on the North Santiam River southeast of Salem, Oregon, United States. The lake is adjacent to Oregon Route 22 near the city of Detroit. This mesotrophic lake stores water for use by the ci ...

. Beyond the Detroit on the east end of the reservoir, the highway passes Idanha, and turns south, west of Mount Jefferson, passes Marion Forks, and reaches its terminus at an interchange with

and

Oregon Route 126 Oregon OR 126 (OR 126) is a state highway that connects coastal, western, and central parts of the U.S. state of Oregon. A short freeway section of OR 126 in Eugene and Springfield is concurrent with Interstate 105 (I-105). Route ...

at Santiam Junction. US 20 and OR 126 continue east over

into central Oregon; US 20 heads to Bend and OR 126 to Redmond. North Santiam near 22

Major intersections

References

External links

Project website for proposed expansion in Grand Ronde area

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oregon Route 022 022 Transportation in Tillamook County, Oregon Transportation in Yamhill County, Oregon Transportation in Marion County, Oregon Transportation in Linn County, Oregon Transportation in Polk County, Oregon