page_title: Terwilliger curves
section_title: Mid-1990s
hierarchical_section_title: Terwilliger curves / Construction and improvements / Mid-1990s
caption_attribution_description: English: View north to the Terwilliger curves from Terwilliger Boulevard.
context_page_description: The "Terwilliger curves" is the name given to a 1.7-mile, six-lane section of Interstate 5 in Portland, Oregon, known as one of the most dangerous stretches of highway in the state. Named for its physical characteristics and proximity to Terwilliger Boulevard, it first opened in 1961 and soon became known for its high crash rate. Several upgrades, a reduction in the speed limit, and increased efforts to enforce traffic laws have had some success improving safety over the years, although crashes remain common.
context_section_description: In November 1995, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB), Oregon State Police (OSP), ODOT, and a local neighborhood association launched a "multipronged plan" to improve safety in the Terwilliger curves. Among the initiatives: lowering the speed limit from 55 to 50 mph (90 to 80 km/h), posting "better-illuminated signs" alerting drivers to dangers, increased enforcement of traffic laws, and the approval of $31,000 (including private, state and federal funds) for the creation of six parking pads to boost the police presence. In addition, the OSP announced "plans to put planes in the air twice a month to monitor traffic".
  In the two months following, more than 1,100 tickets were handed out to motorists, mostly for speeding. Seven months later, having handed out more than 3,000 tickets, Portland police reported an 80 percent reduction in accident rates.
  According to ODOT, traffic accidents were cut in half during the first year of the program; just 15 calls to 9-1-1 regarding accidents in the Terwilliger curves were made in November 1996, compared to 48 in November 1995. The following year, Portland police reported an overall increase in traffic citations was mostly due to photo radar in the Terwilliger curves, issuing more than 5,400 citations from November 1995 to October 1996. However, when police reduced their patrols, accident reports rose once again.
caption: Northbound view onto the Terwilliger curves from Terwilliger Boulevard
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