New Through Travel Road Into Longview Territory Is Requested By District
State Highway Commission Makes Outline of Requirements For Route to Rainier And Longview

The Oregon Statesman
Sunday June 16, 1929

In answer to your inquiry as to comparative distances over practical roads from Junction City, Or., to Kelso, taking into consideration the proposed connection by way of the Longview-Rainier ferry the following information; While the agitation for the Longview bridge has been continuing over a period of two years, it was only recently that this department made an investigation seeking to determine the comparative distances by various routes connecting this bridge with the Pacific Highway.

Inasmuch as the local travel is cared for by county roads, we made our investigations taking into consideration distances from two points by the various routes suggested. One set of distances was taken from Junction City, a common point for all roads on the Pacific Highway south and Kelso a common point for the various routings on the Pacific Highway north. Another set of distances on the various routes were taken from McMinnville, a common point for the various routes on the West Side Pacific Highway in Oregon, and Kelso to the north in Washington.

With these points in mind, we submit the following table of distances from Junction City to the junction of the road leading to the Longview bridge with the Pacific Highway at Kelso, From Junction City to Kelso via Vancouver bridge 160.9 mi. From Junction City to Kelso via Portland-Rainier 163.5 mi. From Junction City to Kelso via Forest Grove-Buxton 162.9 mi. From Junction City to Kelso via Forest Grove-Timber 171.0 mi. 

From McMinnville to the junction of the road leading to the Longview bridge and the Pacific Highway at Kelso; From McMinnville to Kelso via Vancouver bridge 90.1 mi. From McMinnville to Kelso via Forest Grove-Buxton 88.97 mi. 

From the above figures it can readily be seen that the present Pacific Highway by way of the Vancouver bridge is two miles shorter than the shortest proposed route, by way of Forest Grove and Buxton and in addition the present and shortest route is paved for the entire distance. In addition, the proposed short cut from Forest Grove to Rainier would cross three summits, each of them over 1000 feet in elevation and requiring about a 600 foot climb from each valley with consequent curvature on both the ascending and descending grades. 

Answering your request for estimated costs of building the proposed short cut between Forest Grove and Rainier, we can give only an estimate, as the state highway department has never made a survey of this route. The distances and estimations given below are made after conferences with the county courts of Columbia and Washington counties, both of which counties have made some investigations relative to the proposed short cut.

In the case of Washington county, actual construction of one of the links of the proposed short cut has been started, but the road is being built with the idea of caring for only local needs and not on state highway specification. To build the proposed short cut to Rainier from Forest Grove as suggested by various parties. It would be necessary to construct 25.5 miles of new road (10.5 miles between Apairy and Pittsburg, 4 miles along Beaver creek in Columbia county and 11 miles in Washington county from Banks to the Columbia county line). 

To build these 25.5 miles of road would require considerably over one-half million dollars. To bring existing county roads along the route to state highway standards would require another one-half million dollars (with replacement of existing structures). The above estimate provides for only a macadam road and would mean that 53.0 miles of this route would be a macadam road only.

The grading and macadam surfacing of this proposed cut-off would cost over one million dollars and if the proposal would entail the paving of the cut-off, another one and one-third million dollars would be required, making the total outlay for a paved road  from Forest Grove to Rainier of approximately two and one-third
million dollars. 

"With the completion of this road a motorist driving from any point on the Pacific Highway south of Junction City would drive two miles further in going to any point north of Kelso. If he drove by the proposed cut-off and Longview bridge than by way of the present Pacific Highway by way of the Vancouver bridge to Kelso. He would also cross over three summits between Forest Grove and Rainier which in addition to the elevation would create a great deal of additional curvature while along the present Pacific Highway by way of Vancouver bridge there would be practically no elevation, considerably less curvature and the bridge at Vancouver is now free of tolls, whereas a small toll charge will undoubtedly be made over the Longview bridge.

The Oregon state highway commission has not officially considered this proposed cut off between Forest Grove and Rainier and has not made an official survey of the route; the above figures are given out after an investigation and examination of existing data now in the hands of the county courts of Washington and Columbia counties. We are enclosing several sets of distance tables from which the above data was made and which you can examine at your leisure. These tables take In the various combination of routings possible both with existing roads and proposed roads.