Wikipedia / U.S. Route 26
Wikipedia / U.S. Route 26
U.S. Highway 26 (US 26) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that runs from Seaside, Oregon, to Ogallala, Nebraska. When the U.S. Numbered Highway System was first defined, it was limited to Nebraska and Wyoming; by the 1950s, it continued into Idaho and Oregon. The highway's eastern terminus is in Ogallala at an intersection with Interstate 80 (I-80). Its western terminus is south of Seaside at an intersection with US 101. Prior to 2004, the route's last were cosigned with US101 from the highways' junction south of Seaside north to Astoria where its intersection with US 30 was also US30's western terminus. Long segments of the highway follow the historic Oregon Trail. At its peak, immediately before the establishment of the Interstate Highway System, US26 was in length and terminated in Astoria.
Route description
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Oregon
Starting at a junction with US 101 near Seaside, US26 heads southeast through the Coast Range to Portland. In the western Portland area, US26 is a freeway known as the Sunset Highway. After passing through the Vista Ridge Tunnels, heading into Downtown Portland, it intersects with I-405 and runs along the Interstate southbound for about a half-mile () before exiting onto surface streets at the waterfront, meeting Oregon Route 43 (OR43) at Macadam Avenue before crossing I-5. After crossing the Willamette River and meeting at an incomplete interchange with OR 99E, US26 then heads east on Powell Boulevard where it crosses I-205 and continues east to Sandy on what is known as the Mount Hood Highway No. 26, a four-lane divided highway that was supposed to be the Mount Hood Freeway, which was never built just south of Division Street.
After passing through Sandy, US26 (known there as the Mount Hood Highway) continues on toward Government Camp and Bennett Pass, where it eventually meets up with OR 35. The Mount Hood Highway continues north along OR35, while US26 heads southeast toward Madras, where it intersects with US 97. It then continues southeast to Prineville, where it meets OR 126 and heads east through John Day where it meets US 20 in Vale. The remainder of US26 follows US20 to the Idaho state line.
Idaho
From the Oregon state line, US26 continues to follow US 20 to Boise, with short concurrencies with US 95 near Parma and I-84 at Caldwell. At Boise, US26/US20 merges with I-84 for about until Mountain Home, where US20 splits from US26/I-84. About later in Bliss, US26 splits from I-84, joining US 93 at Shoshone with the concurrent routes joining US20 at Carey. US20/US26/US93 skirt the north edge of Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve and then through Arco where US93 splits north. Near Idaho National Laboratory, US26 again splits from US20 to the southeast, proceeding to Blackfoot, where US26 joins I-15 for about before splitting just south of Idaho Falls toward Alpine, Wyoming.
Wyoming
From Alpine, US26 is cosigned with US 89 east and north to Hoback Junction, then cosigned with US89, US 189, and US 191 to Jackson. US189 ends in Jackson, and the other three highways continue their concurrency through Grand Teton National Park up to Moran. At "Glacier View Turnout", a view of Teton Glacier, on the north of Grand Teton, can be seen. At Moran, US26 turns east, concurrent with US 287. Crossing the Continental Divide at Togwotee Pass, US26 passes through Dubois, the end of the Wyoming Centennial Scenic Byway, and at Diversion Dam Junction, US26 and US287 separate; US26 continues southeast to Riverton, then northeast to Shoshoni. From Shoshoni to Casper, US26 is cosigned with US 20. US20/US26 has a bypass north of Casper, the eastern half of which is concurrent with I-25 and US 87. US20/US26/US87 parallels I-25 from Casper to Glenrock; east of Glenrock, US26 (along with US20 and US87) is cosigned on I-25. US26 follows I-25 to Dwyer Junction, where it turns east to continue along the Old Oregon Trail. US26 passes through Guernsey, Fort Laramie, Lingle, and Torrington before entering Nebraska. US 85 is concurrent with US26 between Lingle and Torrington.
Nebraska
US26 runs southeastward parallel to the North Platte River. The largest city US26 runs through in Nebraska is Scottsbluff, which is just 22 miles (35km) from the Wyoming border. US26 also goes past Chimney Rock National Historic Site. US26 intersects with US 385 in Bridgeport and then continues to its eastern terminus in Ogallala, Nebraska at I-80. All told, there are of US26 in the state of Nebraska.
History
Between 1952 and 2003, US 26 ran concurrently with 101 from Seaside, Oregon up to Astoria, where it abruptly ended at the Astoria-Megler bridge. In 2003, this concurrency was truncated and US 26 now began just south of Seaside.
U.S. Highway320 (US320) was part of the initial 1926 system, connecting US 20 in Shoshoni with US 87W in Riverton, Wyoming. It became Wyoming Highway 320 (WYO320) in 1938, which was extended southwest to Lander in 1940 when US 287 (which had replaced US87W) was realigned. The original part of US320/WYO320 became part of an extension of US26 in 1950, and the rest of WYO320 became part of WYO 789 in 1954.
Major intersections
Oregon
south of Seaside
in Portland. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
in Portland
in Madras. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
in Mount Vernon. The highways travel concurrently to John Day.
in Vale. The highways travel concurrently to Mountain Home.
Idaho
north-northwest of Parma. The highways travel concurrently to southeast of Parma.
north of Caldwell. The highways travel concurrently to Caldwell.
in Boise. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
in Boise. I-84/US26 travel concurrently to Bliss. US26/US30 travel concurrently to west-northwest of Bliss.
in Carey. The highways travel concurrently to northwest of Atomic City.
in Blackfoot. The highways travel concurrently to Idaho Falls.
in Idaho Falls
Wyoming
on the Alpine Northwest–Alpine Northeast line. The highways travel concurrently to Moran.
in Hoback Junction. US26/US189 travel concurrently to Jackson. US26/US191 travel concurrently to Moran.
in Moran. The highways travel concurrently to west-northwest of Morton.
on the Casper–Hartrandt city line. I-25/US26 travel concurrently into Casper proper. US26/US87 travel concurrently to west-southwest of Dwyer.
southeast of Glenrock. The highways travel concurrently to west-southwest of Dwyer.
in Orin
in Lingle. The highways travel concurrently to Torrington.
Nebraska
in Bridgeport. The highways travel concurrently to Northport.
west of Ogallala. The highways travel concurrently to Ogallala.
in Ogallala. The roadway continues as .
See also
References
External links