Eugene police close Maxwell Road near North Eugene High School

Eugene police closed Maxwell Road between Prairie Road and Labona Drive on June 27, cutting off a stretch near North Eugene High School and the Northwest Expressway while officers handled police activity in the area. Police told the public to avoid the roadway and use an alternate route.

The closure mattered most for anyone trying to reach North Eugene High School, which sits at 250 Silver Lane in Eugene and is part of Eugene School District 4J. The school is close enough to the closed corridor that traffic moving between Prairie Road, Labona Drive and the Northwest Expressway had to stay out of the affected area.

North Eugene High has deep roots in the neighborhood. It first opened to students on October 21, 1957, after construction delays pushed back the start of classes and forced nearly two months of double-shifting at Kelly Middle School. The school’s history reflects how long the campus has served families on Eugene’s north side, where access routes and school travel often overlap with neighborhood traffic patterns.

North Eugene High’s website says the school is committed to safety protocols and emergency preparedness, a focus that has been tested before. On May 29, 2025, the school went into lockdown as a precaution after a separate police incident in the River Road area. Eugene police said they responded at 11:39 a.m. to a reported dispute involving juveniles at 2080 River Road, where one juvenile was reportedly armed and there were reports gunshots had been fired into the air.

School officials said during that lockdown that all students and staff were safe and accounted for. Principal Ricci Huling leads the school, which has remained a central campus for the North Eugene area even as police activity and traffic disruptions continue to affect the streets around it.