Is there ever going to be a 2 lane highway all the way from Portland to Central Oregon (ex: making Hwy 26 one)?

[bler144]

Originally Posted by Squidlo

Amtrak and it needing government help go hand in hand. Passenger rail is cost prohibitive. Unless you can figure out a way to get to a break even on cost I doubt anyone would even consider it.

At the least you'd need significantly more passenger volume than a Portland/Valley line to Bend would support to even start eating into your fixed overhead expenses.

And you'd have some issue with passengers still needing personal transport once they arrived at the other end. If I were going for a show at the Les Schwab a ride on the rails might be great - drop off downtown, grab a bite, walk to the ampitheater. Spend the night and train home the next day. Sounds quite lovely.

But a lot of the people travelling to the Bend area are going for outdoor pursuits, or ranch B&Bs, etc. that aren't going to be in walking distance. If I'm going to have to rent a car anyway, I pretty much might as well drive in the first place.

[wanderbygrace]

Originally Posted by bler144

At the least you'd need significantly more passenger volume than a Portland/Valley line to Bend would support to even start eating into your fixed overhead expenses.

And you'd have some issue with passengers still needing personal transport once they arrived at the other end. If I were going for a show at the Les Schwab a ride on the rails might be great - drop off downtown, grab a bite, walk to the ampitheater. Spend the night and train home the next day. Sounds quite lovely.

But a lot of the people travelling to the Bend area are going for outdoor pursuits, or ranch B&Bs, etc. that aren't going to be in walking distance. If I'm going to have to rent a car anyway, I pretty much might as well drive in the first place.

I know that there is bus service between Bend and PDX, as I nearly had to use it last summer when my car broke down in Bend. When I called for availability on a Sunday run, they had tons of room. Not saying that's a good correlation, as it's a one-time thing, but if that's the case w/bus service, it might mean that train wouldn't do much better (even if it were a more pleasant journey than a bus).

[redguard57]

Originally Posted by wanderbygrace

I know that there is bus service between Bend and PDX, as I nearly had to use it last summer when my car broke down in Bend. When I called for availability on a Sunday run, they had tons of room. Not saying that's a good correlation, as it's a one-time thing, but if that's the case w/bus service, it might mean that train wouldn't do much better (even if it were a more pleasant journey than a bus).

Yeah, it makes two trips daily from the Redmond airport to PDX. It never leaves at decent times though, ie: arrives way too late at PDX to make the morning flights. If you use it, you have to stay overnight for the next day's PDX departures.

It's also $80 round-trip. Even though you can take it to PDX and use the MAX to go whereever you want, even at $4.00 a gallon gas, it cost me about $60 to make the drive round-trip and... well I have my car which is more convenient.

Going the other way from Portland to Bend for a trip makes no sense at all because Bend does not have a public transportation network that's decent, especially not to the outdoor recreation that people go to Bend for.

[wanderbygrace]

Originally Posted by redguard57

Yeah, it makes two trips daily from the Redmond airport to PDX. It never leaves at decent times though, ie: arrives way too late at PDX to make the morning flights. If you use it, you have to stay overnight for the next day's PDX departures.

It's also $80 round-trip. Even though you can take it to PDX and use the MAX to go whereever you want, even at $4.00 a gallon gas, it cost me about $60 to make the drive round-trip and... well I have my car which is more convenient.

Going the other way from Portland to Bend for a trip makes no sense at all because Bend does not have a public transportation network that's decent, especially not to the outdoor recreation that people go to Bend for.

Yup, that's it - it also goes down to Bend, because it stops at the Sugarloaf Mountain hotel that I was staying at. I think the name was Breeze or something similar.

Interesting to know about the price. I know for me, I had little choice, as I had a big meeting on Monday in PDX, and was considering air service. Therefore, $40 or so would probably have been nice.

On the plus side, I was able to find an acquaintance that just happened to be going from Bend to PDX that evening and was able to give me a ride. $20 for gas and good conversation was well worth it!

[beenhereandthere]

[quote=redguard57;38371788]It already is 4 lanes in the important parts - about 1/2 of the way to Government Camp, then for a section right around Government Camp.

There would be no easy way - not even a moderately difficult way - to put a full size interstate or something like that across Winpinitia or Blue Box passes.

It would be easy enough through Warm Springs but the traffic through there does not demand it. I think the route from Madras to Bend and from Madras to Warm Springs should be looked at for expansion. Particularly the Madras to Bend leg - I've been very frustrated in that area by slow drivers.

(My quote):It's only 1 lane really around Warm Springs. Now granted it's two lanes going up it in each direction, but only 1 going down it.
Yes, I don't get why, it's not 2 in each direction all the way from Madras to Redmond/Bend. I am aware that they now have a bypass that goes around downtown Redmond, but that's it for expansion. I can imagine that it's not speed limit traffic, during summer weekends, from Madras to where it opens up to two lanes again, just north of Terrebonne.
This is more for the truckers and I hope they can find someway, to build a 2 lanes in each direction the whole way. It may be easier to do it at Santiam Pass instead, but that wouldn't really make sense since, the additional mileage, would make it the same drive, time wise, as Govt. Camp/Hwy 26.
As far as the Breeze is concerned, it's awfully expensive, 80-100 dollars round trip. Seattle is almost the same distance (from Portland), but thanks to competition, which Central Oregon doesn't have, the similar bus fares are 1/2 the price.

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Originally Posted by beenhereandthere

Again, all the way, not in spots. I would guess unless the population of the Bend area doubles, it's very unlikely which is a shame. Hwy 26 from just before Goverment Camp to Warm Springs, while scenic, is just down right dangerous. Especially for truckers and for all during the winter. I know some people just drive around through The Dalles and then over, on Hwy 97A, which is still somewhat hairy, but not nearly as bad, but that adds at least 1 hour. Is it there's just not enough money, that it would take too long, maybe 5-10 years to complete, or that the landscape, like just before Government Camp itself, is just too prohibitive to expand another lane in each direction? It really makes the Bend area truly isolated, while it's counter parts in WA, (like Yakima, Moses Lake and Wenatchee) aren't nearly as cut off.
Thoughts?

If you are thinking more along the way of a near freeway, not in the next 20 years. We haven't the money and have to get our fron under the PERS curse. Another thought is where. If HWY 26, there are a lot of small towns along it and having a near freeway through town would probably have heavy opposition.