# U.S. Route 20 in Oregon

U.S. Route 20 (US 20) is a major west–east cross-state highway in the northern part of the U.S. state of Oregon, especially east of the Cascade Mountains. It connects U.S. Route 101 in Newport on the central Oregon Coast to the Idaho state line east of Nyssa.

## Route description

US 20 starts at an intersection with US 101 in Newport, and travels eastward over the Central Oregon Coast Range to Corvallis. In Corvallis, it intersects Oregon Route 99W (OR 99W) and briefly travels concurrent with OR 34 before proceeding northeast to Albany. From Albany, US 20 briefly travels concurrent with OR 99E before turning east through Lebanon and Sweet Home and entering the Cascade Mountains. It intersects OR 126 west of Santiam Pass and the two routes travel concurrent through Sisters. US 20 then continues eastward and southward to Bend, where it travels roughly parallel to US 97 for about 3 miles (4.8 km) before turning east through Brothers and Riley. At Riley, US 20 travels concurrent with US 395 through Hines and Burns to about 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of Burns. From Burns, US 20 continues east through Juntura and Vale. In Vale, US 20 travels concurrent with US 26, and the two highways continue east to Cairo Junction, south of Ontario, and turn south, where they then also travel concurrently with OR 201 to Nyssa. Eastward from Nyssa, US 20/US 26 continue to the Idaho state line. The route throughout most of Oregon serves as an important link between Central and Southern Oregon and far Northern California to Boise, Idaho.

## History

Under the initial 1925 plan for the United States Numbered Highway System, US 20 was originally planned to follow the Columbia River from Astoria to Pendleton and continue southeast into Idaho. The Oregon Highway Commission requested that US 30 be assigned to the Columbia River Highway instead and have US 20 truncated at Pocatello, Idaho. The American Association of State Highway Officials ultimately agreed to truncate US 20 further to Yellowstone National Park, but later extended it via central Oregon in 1940.
A 10-mile (16 km) section of the Corvallis–Newport Highway between Chitwood to Eddyville was replaced by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) in the early 21st century to accommodate higher traffic volumes. The section, originally opened in 1917, was winding and had no shoulder for vehicle breakdowns. Construction on a straighter, 5.5-mile (8.9 km) route began in 2005 and was planned to be completed in 2009, but landslides and other hazards caused delays. In 2012, ODOT took over the project from the original design–build contractor after an agreement was reached in their liability dispute. The project was completed in October 2016 at a cost of $365 million.
In 2017, the Oregon legislature designated Oregon’s 451-mile stretch of U.S. Route 20 as the state’s official Medal of Honor Highway. Twelve roadside signs were placed along the route to honor Oregon’s Medal of Honor recipients. Oregon was the first state to designate a border-to-border route as its official Medal of Honor Highway. Supporters hope other states will extend the Medal of Honor designation from the Oregon border to highway’s eastern terminus in Massachusetts.

## Oregon highway designations

The Oregon section of US 20 consists of the following highways numbered using ODOT's internal numbering system (see Oregon highways and routes), from west to east:
* The Corvallis-Newport Highway No. 33;
* Part of the Corvallis-Lebanon Highway No. 210;
* The Albany-Corvallis Highway No. 31;
* The Santiam Highway No. 16;
* Part of the McKenzie Highway No. 15;
* The McKenzie-Bend Highway No. 17;
* The Central Oregon Highway No. 7.

## Major intersections

Milepoints are as reported by ODOT and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. Z indicates overlapping mileage due to construction longer than established route, and – indicates negative mileage behind established beginning point. Segments that are locally maintained may be omitted. For routes traversing multiple named state highways, each milepoint is preceded by the corresponding state highway number.
| County | Location | Milepoint | Destinations | Notes |
| Lincoln | Newport | 33 0.00 | US 101 south – Waldport, Florence US 101 north – Depoe Bay, Lincoln City | Western terminus of US 20 |
| Lincoln | ​ | 33 5.62 | US 20 Bus. east – Toledo | |
| Lincoln | ​ | 33 5.74 | OR 229 – Siletz, Toledo | |
| Lincoln | ​ | 33 7.49 | US 20 Bus. west – Toledo | |
| Lincoln | ​ | 33 10.34 | Pioneer Mountain summit, elevation 377 feet (115 m) | Pioneer Mountain summit, elevation 377 feet (115 m) |
| Lincoln | ​ | 33 23.18 | OR 180 east (Eddyville–Blodgett Road) – Nashville, Summit | |
| Lincoln | ​ | 33 31.08 | Cline Hill summit, elevation 770 feet (230 m) | Cline Hill summit, elevation 770 feet (230 m) |
| Benton | ​ | 33 38.28 | Dudley Hill summit, elevation 860 feet (260 m) | Dudley Hill summit, elevation 860 feet (260 m) |
| Benton | ​ | 33 39.39 | OR 180 west (Eddyville–Blodgett Highway) – Summit, Nashville | |
| Benton | ​ | 33 41.78 | Gellately Hill summit, elevation 789 feet (240 m) | Gellately Hill summit, elevation 789 feet (240 m) |
| Benton | ​ | 33 44.57 | OR 223 north – Wren, Kings Valley | |
| Benton | ​ | 33 49.73 | OR 34 west – Alsea, Waldport | Western end of concurrency with OR 34 |
| Benton | Corvallis | 33 55.6791 (2)84.07 | OR 34 east to I-5 | Interchange; eastern end of concurrency with OR 34; eastbound exit and westbound entrance |
| Benton | Corvallis | 33 55.6791 (2)84.07 | OR 99W south – Junction City, Eugene | Interchange; western end of concurrency with OR 99W; westbound exit and eastbound entrance |
| Benton | Corvallis | 91 (2)83.42210 –0.05 | OR 99W north (NW 3rd Street) – Monmouth, McMinnville | Eastern end of concurrency with OR 99W |
| Benton | Corvallis | 210 0.0031 0.10 | To OR 34 east / I-5 – Lebanon | |
| Benton–Linn county line | Albany | 31 10.44 | Willamette River | Willamette River |
| Linn | Albany | 31 11.2858 2.25 | OR 99E south (Pacific Boulevard SW) – Junction City | Western end of concurrency with OR 99E |
| Linn | Albany | 58 (2)1.4516 –0.03 | OR 99E north to I-5 north – Salem, Portland | Eastern end of concurrency with OR 99E; eastbound exit and westbound entrance |
| Linn | Albany | 16 1.04– 16 1.08 | I-5 – Eugene, Roseburg, Salem, Portland | Exit 233 on I-5 |
| Linn | ​ | 16 6.55 | OR 226 east – Crabtree, Scio, Lyons | |
| Linn | Lebanon | 16 12.80 | OR 34 west – Corvallis | |
| Linn | Sweet Home | 16 27.07 | OR 228 west (Holley Road) – Brownsville, Halsey | |
| Linn | Sweet Home | 16 31.19 | Viewpoint (Foster Lake) | Viewpoint (Foster Lake) |
| Linn | ​ | 16 46.93 | Historical marker (Santiam Wagon Road) | Historical marker (Santiam Wagon Road) |
| Linn | ​ | 16 63.64 | Tombstone Pass summit, elevation 4,236 feet (1,291 m) | Tombstone Pass summit, elevation 4,236 feet (1,291 m) |
| Linn | ​ | 16 71.52 | OR 126 west (McKenzie Highway) – Springfield, Eugene | Western end of Route 126 concurrency |
| Linn | ​ | 16 74.90 | OR 22 west – Detroit, Salem | |
| Linn–Jefferson county line | ​ | 16 80.77 | Santiam Pass summit, elevation 4,817 feet (1,468 m) | Santiam Pass summit, elevation 4,817 feet (1,468 m) |
| Jefferson | ​ | 16 84.57 | Viewpoint (Mount Washington) | Viewpoint (Mount Washington) |
| Deschutes | ​ | 16 99.53 | Historical marker (Santiam Pass Road) | Historical marker (Santiam Pass Road) |
| Deschutes | Sisters | 16 100.1215 Z92.03 | OR 242 west – McKenzie Pass | |
| Deschutes | Sisters | 15 93.0717 0.00 | OR 126 east – Redmond, Prineville | Eastern end of concurrency with OR 126 |
| Deschutes | ​ | 17 9.09– 17 9.18 | Viewpoint | Viewpoint |
| Deschutes | Bend | 17 18.51 | US 97 Bus. north (NE 3rd Street) | Interchange; western end of concurrency with US 97 Bus. |
| Deschutes | Bend | 17 19.86 | US 97 south – Mt. Bachelor, Klamath Falls | Interchange; eastbound exit only |
| Deschutes | Bend | 17 19.86 | US 97 north – Redmond, Portland | Interchange; westbound exit only |
| Deschutes | Bend | 17 20.997 0.51 | US 97 Bus. south (NE 3rd Street) – Klamath Falls | Eastern end of concurrency with US 97 Bus. |
| Deschutes | ​ | 7 19.95 | Historical marker (prehistoric river) | Historical marker (prehistoric river) |
| Deschutes | ​ | 7 20.56 | Horse Ridge summit, elevation 4,291 feet (1,308 m) | Horse Ridge summit, elevation 4,291 feet (1,308 m) |
| Deschutes | ​ | 7 35.65 | OR 27 north – Prineville Reservoir | |
| Lake | No major junctions | No major junctions | No major junctions | No major junctions |
| Harney | ​ | 7 103.03 | Historical marker (Bannock War) | Historical marker (Bannock War) |
| Harney | ​ | 7 104.69 | US 395 south – Wagontire, Valley Falls, Lakeview | Western end of concurrency with US 395 |
| Harney | Burns | 7 131.50 | OR 78 east (East Monroe Street) – Crane, Winnemucca | |
| Harney | ​ | 7 134.29 | US 395 north – John Day, Pendleton | Eastern end of concurrency with US 395 |
| Harney | ​ | 7 144.25 | Historical marker (Fort Harney) | Historical marker (Fort Harney) |
| Harney | ​ | 7 155.09 | Historical marker (Great Basin) | Historical marker (Great Basin) |
| Harney | ​ | 7 160.79 | Stinkingwater Pass, elevation 4,848 feet (1,478 m) | Stinkingwater Pass, elevation 4,848 feet (1,478 m) |
| Harney | ​ | 7 177.54 | Drinkwater Pass, elevation 4,212 feet (1,284 m) | Drinkwater Pass, elevation 4,212 feet (1,284 m) |
| Malheur | ​ | 7 232.99 | Vines Hill summit, elevation 2,886 feet (880 m) | Vines Hill summit, elevation 2,886 feet (880 m) |
| Malheur | ​ | 7 238.78 | Graham Boulevard (Vale–West Highway No. 451) – Bully Creek Reservoir | |
| Malheur | Vale | 7 245.46 | Graham Boulevard (Vale–West Highway No. 451) | |
| Malheur | Vale | 7 246.39 | US 26 west (Glenn Street North) – Unity, John Day | Western end of concurrency with US 26 |
| Malheur | ​ | 7 253.48 | Viewpoint (Trenkel Hill vista) | Viewpoint (Trenkel Hill vista) |
| Malheur | Cairo Junction | 7 258.20 | OR 201 north to I-84 – Ontario | Western end of concurrency with OR 201 |
| Malheur | Nyssa | 7 265.97 | OR 201 south – Adrian, Lake Owyhee | Eastern end of Route 201 concurrency |
| Malheur | Nyssa | 7 266.82 | US 20 east / US 26 east – Nampa, Boise | Continuation into Idaho across Snake River |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus Incomplete access |||||

## Special routes

US 20 has 2 business routes in Oregon: one in Toledo, and one in Bend.