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ORoads: Oregon Route 69

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Oregon Route 69
OR-69 Navigation:
Info/Map | Definition | History | Route Log | Pictures (coming soon)
Oregon Route 69 Info and Map
OR-69's Routing from Eugene to Springfield
Former Length: 9.90 miles
Type: Mostly Freeway, <1 Mile Undivided Expressway
Lifespan: 2002-2007
Western Terminus: OR-126 in Eugene
Eastern Terminus: Gateway St. in Springfield
Cities Served: Eugene, Santa Clara, Springfield
Intersected: OR-99, Delta Highway (Lane County), I-5
Multiplexed with: none
Survives as:

OR-569

(Entire length)

Oregon Highway Name/Numbers: Belt Line Highway #69
Oregon Route 69 Route Definition

"Over the Belt Line Highway from the intersection of Beltline Road and 11th Avenue in Eugene, OR126, thence northerly and easterly via Beltline Road to the end of the Belt Line Highway at Gateway Road in Springfield. (Est. 9/19/2002)"

~ ODOT, Descriptions of US and Oregon Routes, May 2005

Oregon Route 69 History

OR-69 was created in September 2002 when ODOT decided to give routes to unmarked Oregon highways, in this case the unmarked Belt Line Highway #69, where the OR-69 comes from. A more detailed history of this highway can be found on my OR-569 page. Despite the new designation, shields were never posted along the route. The routing destination was left in limbo until January 2007, when someone at the Oregon Transporation Commission floated a proposal to renumber the highway, probably due to its risqué numerical nature. After floating the OR-14 designation as a replacement, the OTC decided to change the number to Oregon Route 569, killing the hidden OR-69 designation.

I believe that it is the only truly-hidden Oregon Route designation to have been killed. A shield was never posted on the highway or its intersectors...it was only referred to as OR-69 in internal documents. OR-569 will have shields posted on it in Summer 2007, so it's "child" will live on.