Polk County has undertaken Project 22 to address what the locals call the "Highway of Death." Simple crosses of white, surrounded by flowers and stuffed animals, stand as silent sentinels to the memory of loved ones who have died along its path. School bus drivers and combine operators cringe as they attempt to cross its narrow lanes and dodge the high-speed traffic headed west to the Oregon Coast.

Highway 22 West: Literally an Accident Waiting to Happen.

What used to be a scenic and pleasant traffic corridor through the beautiful Willamette Valley and the Coast Hills has become a nightmare to the residents, workers, and tourists who struggle to navigate the thoroughfare together.

The year 2000 not only rang in a new millennium, it also rang in the deadliest era in the history of Highway 22. The death rate is 2.5 times greater than the national traffic fatality average.

Highway 22 West is no longer being utilized for the purpose for which it was originally designed. In reality, it is now comprised of two different roads, both vying for the same space. The first is a local transportation corridor serving local business traffic. School busses and slow moving farm equipment frequently cross it. The second is a high-speed expressway serving the central Willamette Valley and carrying millions of tourists intent upon visiting the Central Oregon Coast and the many regional attractions to be found along the way. Blending these two traffic populations and patterns without modifying the original roadway design is a recipe for the disaster we are now seeing.

Are the physical improvements made by the Oregon Department of Transportation and local jurisdictions on Highway 22 to curb accidents and reduce the loss of human life enough? Absolutely not.

Current improvements do not address the dangerous combination of mixing high-speed expressway traffic to the coast with local and farming traffic. Traffic volumes are increasing at a rate faster than local population projections, especially due to the increase in tourism activity. Given the rapid increase in traffic volume, as well as competing traffic populations, the remaining improvements are outside the scope and resources of local and state government. Procuring outside resources has become a necessity.

The Solution: Project 22

Provide a safe means for local and expressway traffic to share the road. Where necessary, separate the traffic to substantially reduce the number of accidents caused by access, egress and speed differentials.
Divide traffic along the entire length of the road, thereby greatly reducing the incidence of head-on collisions.

Click "Next" to learn more about the solution, and what YOU can do to help.

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