Old McKenzie Pass Highway (OR242) Opens To Motorists On June 19

June 14, 2017

For more information: Peter Murphy

ODOT Public Information Officer

541-388-6224

 

Old McKenzie Pass Highway (OR242)

Opens To Motorists On June 19

Drivers urged to use caution on narrow road

 

BEND -- The Old McKenzie Pass Highway (OR 242) will officially open to all traffic on Monday, June 19, 2017 at 8AM. The highway has been closed due to winter snows.

Motorists driving on this curvy road need to be aware of bicyclists and pedestrians on the roadway and take proper precautions. Vehicles longer than 35 feet are prohibited from using the highway.

The first route over the McKenzie Pass, known as Craig's McKenzie Salt Springs/Deschutes Wagon Road, was completed in 1872. This toll road connected the Willamette Valley with Camp Polk, near what is now Sisters. The charge was $2 for a wagon drawn by two horses, $2.50 for a wagon with four horses, $1 for a man on a horse and 10 cents each for loose cattle and horses.

The Old McKenzie Pass Highway became a seasonal scenic highway in 1962 with the completion of the Clear Lake-Belknap Springs section of OR 126. Even during its tenure as the main route between the southern Willamette Valley and Central Oregon, the narrow, twisting roadway and high elevation (5,325 feet) made the highway too difficult to maintain and keep clear during the winter months.

 

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