Eugene police plan Highway 99 crackdown after fatal crashes

Highway 99 is set for another hard look from Eugene police, this time with a multi-agency enforcement operation aimed at the stretch that has seen repeated deadly crashes. Officers will focus on driver behavior north and south of Royal Avenue, while also targeting pedestrian crossing violations in the busier central segment of the corridor.

The operation is scheduled for June 25 and will split its attention by location. From Royal Avenue to Bethel Drive, officers will concentrate on speed, seatbelt use and distracted driving. From Roosevelt Boulevard to Royal Avenue, they will focus on pedestrian crossing violations, reflecting a corridor where police say both drivers and people on foot are part of the safety problem.

The response will include EPD Housing Support officers, Community Service Officers and other units backing up enforcement teams. Community Service Officers are uniformed, non-sworn employees who handle non-emergency calls, assist with traffic crashes and support sworn officers, so their presence points to a broader operation than a routine traffic stop effort. Eugene police have used similar focused deployments on Highway 99 before, including a five-officer enforcement effort in December 2025 and another operation on July 29, 2025, when Housing Support Officers, the Traffic Safety Unit and Public Works Right of Way worked the corridor from Barger to Roosevelt.

The city’s crash data helps explain why Highway 99 keeps drawing attention. Eugene adopted its Vision Zero goal in November 2015, committing to zero traffic deaths and serious injuries, but the city’s 2022-2024 fatal-crash period was the highest three-year total on record. Eugene’s preliminary 2025 fatal crash report says deaths were down significantly from 2024’s record high, but the city has continued to use crash data to direct enforcement and roadway safety decisions.

The numbers on the broader problem remain stark. Eugene recorded 22 traffic-related fatalities in 2024, the highest number on record for the city, and 88% of fatal crashes occurred on arterial streets like Highway 99. City traffic-safety officials have repeatedly identified the corridor as one of the places that gets extra attention in pedestrian and bicycle safety operations, alongside River Road, Beltline Highway and Interstate 105.

For Eugene, the June 25 effort is less about one afternoon of citations than about trying to interrupt a pattern that has become familiar to people who drive, walk or live along Highway 99. The city’s seven-officer Traffic Safety Unit and a sergeant will be part of that push, underscoring that the corridor remains one of Eugene’s most persistent traffic-violence concerns.