Highway 99E is a vital part of the region’s transportation system, bringing thousands of cars and trucks through Canby every day. It connects our community with its neighbors and serves as a touchpoint in the area’s history.
Like the railroad, much of what makes Canby, well, Canby, can be traced back to Highway 99. If you squint real hard, you can almost still imagine pioneer Philander Lee trundling down the road to Oregon City, his covered wagon loaded with apples bound for the California gold mines, while trains roar by going the opposite direction.
There’s no doubt that Highway 99E is important to Canby. Most of us drive some part of it every single day. It’s also a pretty darn crappy road, as those of us who do drive it every day can attest.
It will come as good news, then, the Oregon Department of Transportation is planning a major overhaul of 99, the design of which is already underway.
This $6.1 million project will repave and reconstruct sections of 99E between Pine Street and Berg Parkway, so basically, from the Wild Hare Saloon to Canby Builders Supply. It also includes installing new sidewalk curb ramps that meet Americans with Disabilities Act, also known as ADA, standards.
Construction is slated for the year 2021.
For a year or so, we look forward to the complaints about the condition of 99E being replaced by complaints about the construction, followed by a brief period of quiet contentment. Complaints about the condition of 99E are scheduled to resume in 2025.