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State Route 401 (SR 401) is a long state highway in
SR 401 originates at an intersection with (US 101) at the north end of the Astoria–Megler Bridge west of Megler and southeast of 
Secondary State Highway 12B (SSH 12B) was created during the 1937 establishment of the Primary and secondary state highway system as an
Highways of Washington State
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Pacific County
Pacific County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,365. Its county seat is South Bend, and its largest city is Raymond. The county was formed by the government of Oregon Territory in Feb ...
within the U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
. The highway originates at the north end of the Astoria–Megler Bridge west of Megler at an intersection with (US 101). The roadway travels northeast, paralleling cliffs, the Columbia River and the South Fork of the Naselle River to Naselle, ending at . The road was designated Secondary State Highway 12B (SSH 12) between 1937 and 1964, when SR 401 was created to replace SSH 12B. The Astoria–Megler Bridge, completed in 1966, replaced a ferry east of the bridge, where the highway originally ended, and is known locally as Kingston Ferry Road. The roadway was extended west to the north end of the bridge, where it currently terminates. The former ferry terminal became the Dismal Nitch Dismal Nitch is the name of a cove along the lower Columbia River in Washington state, notable as the Lewis and Clark Expedition's last campsite before sighting the Pacific Ocean. Today it is a rest stop on the Washington State Route 401 highway j ...
rest area
A rest area is a public facility located next to a large thoroughfare such as a motorway, expressway, or highway, at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting onto secondary roads. Other names include motorway serv ...
, named after the Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gr ...
's description of the place.
Route description
SR 401 originates at an intersection with (US 101) at the north end of the Astoria–Megler Bridge west of Megler and southeast of McGowan
McGowan is an Irish and Scottish surname. It is an Anglicization of the Irish Mac Gabhann and Scottish surname ''Mac Gobhann''. Belonging to the Uí Echach Cobo, located in modern-day County Down in the east of Ulster, they produced several ...
. Traveling northeast between cliffs and the Columbia River past the Dismal Nitch Dismal Nitch is the name of a cove along the lower Columbia River in Washington state, notable as the Lewis and Clark Expedition's last campsite before sighting the Pacific Ocean. Today it is a rest stop on the Washington State Route 401 highway j ...
Safety rest area
A rest area is a public facility located next to a large thoroughfare such as a motorway, expressway, or highway, at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting onto secondary roads. Other names include motorway serv ...
to Knappton, the highway turns north along more cliffs and the South Fork of the Naselle River. In Naselle, the South Fork merges with the Naselle River, which the roadway crosses over three times before terminating at . The intersection with SR 4 is also the busiest segment of the road with an estimated daily average of 2,800 motorists, which has been decreasing from 3,100 motorists in 2005.
History
Secondary State Highway 12B (SSH 12B) was created during the 1937 establishment of the Primary and secondary state highway system as an auxiliary route
In road transportation in the United States, a special route is a road in a numbered highway system that diverts a specific segment of related traffic away from another road. They are featured in many highway systems; most are found in the In ...
of (PSH 12), co-signed as both (US 101) and . The highway ran from PSH 12 / US 101 at the Megler ferry landing on the Columbia River to PSH 12 / US 830 in Naselle, with a gap between Megler and Knappton. The full highway was opened in October 1962, ahead of the expected completion of the Astoria–Megler Bridge, which opened in 1966.
SSH 12B became SR 401 during the 1964 highway renumbering. The Dismal Nitch Safety rest area
A rest area is a public facility located next to a large thoroughfare such as a motorway, expressway, or highway, at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting onto secondary roads. Other names include motorway serv ...
, formerly the Megler Landing Rest Area, was remodeled twice in 2007 to be accessible year-round.
Major intersections
References
External links
Highways of Washington State
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401
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Year 401 ( CDI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Vincentius and Fravitus (or, less frequently, year 1154 ' ...
Transportation in Pacific County, Washington