Hwy. 126W gets a New Name, Jan. 29

William “Bill” Tebeau will be honored for his great contributions to the state of Oregon with the designation of a portion of Oregon 126 West (Florence-Eugene Highway). As of Friday, January 29, the highway between Veneta and Florence will be known as the “William “Bill” Tebeau Memorial Highway.” Tebeau served Oregon as an ODOT engineer for 35 years. One of his many projects was analyzing the drainage through the area along OR 126 West with the construction of Fern Ridge Reservoir. His hydraulic analysis was instrumental in the building of the Siuslaw River Bridge. In addition to his work at ODOT, Tebeau was a part-time instructor at Chemeketa Community College, where he was awarded “Teacher of the Year” in 1970. He continued to teach and inspire engineers after his retirement from ODOT. The designation was made under Senate Bill 5, adopted by the 2015 Oregon Legislature.