A new public bus service between Wilsonville and Clackamas gives transit riders a faster commute on Interstate 205 with the region’s newest Bus on Shoulder corridor.

Wilsonville’s South Metro Area Regional Transit (SMART) launches Route 10X with service between the Wilsonville Transit Center and Clackamas Town Center Transit Center on May 4, 2026, with stops in Stafford, West Linn and Oregon City.

SMART’s 10X service is free to ride. The route, powered by SMART’s fleet of smaller “cutaway” buses, operates Monday through Friday, with trips originating hourly in Wilsonville between 5:30 am and 7:30 pm.

ODOT worked in partnership with the City of Wilsonville and received a Carbon Reduction Program Grant to modify the existing shoulders on I-205 for bus-only shoulder use. This included shifting rumble strips and updating signing and striping on I-205 to accommodate the new Bus on Shoulder corridor. Construction was completed in November 2025.

The Bus on Shoulder corridor allows SMART buses to use the freeway shoulder to bypass traffic during times of heavy congestion. These buses are authorized to use the shoulder on both directions of I-205 between Stafford Road and Oregon 43 (Willamette Boulevard) and southbound I-205 between Oregon 212 and 82nd Drive.

Buses may only use the shoulder under certain conditions:

The overall speed of traffic must be less than 35 miles per hour.
Transit vehicles are only allowed to go up to 15 miles per hour faster than other traffic, to a maximum speed of 35 miles per hour.
Priority for shoulder use is always given to emergency vehicles, stalls or breakdowns, bicyclists and pedestrians, and roadway maintenance.

For safety, all other types of vehicles – including passenger cars, commercial trucks and unauthorized transit providers – are prohibited from using the shoulder segments outside of an emergency situation.

The primary function of shoulders is for emergency vehicles, stalled or broken-down vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians where permitted, and for routine maintenance. Existing shoulder infrastructure is not suitable for constant vehicular use due to thin, lower-quality pavement and inconsistent width.

Bus operators receive extensive training on the corridor before beginning service to familiarize themselves with pinch points or other areas where a reduced speed is necessary. This is also why there is a maximum allowed speed for transit vehicles on the shoulder.

This is the third Bus on Shoulder corridor in Oregon after successful pilots in 2020 and 2021. SMART and ODOT successfully launched Bus on Shoulder service on Interstate 5 between the interchange with I-205 and Elligsen Road in 2021. Additionally, C-TRAN is authorized to use the shoulder on I-205 across the Glenn Jackson Bridge between Oregon State and Washington State.

Source: ODOT

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