NEWS

In a Few Months, a Major Disruption Is Coming to Interstate 5 in Portland

Officials with the Oregon Department of Transportation say they expect congestion to back up to Vancouver during commuter times.

By Andrew Schwartz
The Rose Quarter and I-5 run through the heart of the Albina neighborhood. (Brian Burk)

For up to five weeks starting Sept. 11, all southbound lanes of Interstate 5 in the Rose Quarter will close for around-the-clock repairs, officials announced this week, setting the stage for a monumental disruption to Portland-area traffic.

During the period, southbound travelers can exit at North Broadway near Moda Center, but all other lanes will be diverted across the Fremont Bridge to Interstate 405.

Officials with the Oregon Department of Transportation say they expect congestion to back up to Vancouver during commuter times.

“We’re encouraging long-distance travelers, including the freight industry, to take I-205 through the region,” David Kim, ODOT’s statewide project delivery manager, said in a written statement. “If you live in the area and can avoid the interstate during this time, you’ll save yourself a headache and help people who must commute get where they need to go.”

ODOT says construction crews will work 24 hours a day to conduct critical repairs and improve safety in the 2-mile section of I-5. They say the five-week closure is cheaper, faster and safer than the alternative of weekend work or partial repairs, which would last months.

The repair is set to focus on the elevated structures just south of Moda Center, which officials say have ruts, cracks and potholes. In addition to seismic improvements, crews will remove the concrete surface layer, conduct structural repairs to the base layer, and then replace the concrete surface. Officials say the concrete was last replaced in 1985.

A few details about the closure:

  • I-5 southbound on-ramps from Alberta, Greeley, and I-405 northbound/Fremont Bridge will be closed.
  • All I-5 southbound travel will be detoured to I-405 southbound. Regional traffic will be directed to I-205.
  • One lane of I-5 southbound will remain open to the Broadway exit by Moda Center.
  • I-84 westbound to I-5 southbound will remain open.
  • I-5 northbound will remain open.

The work is part of a $75 million initial phase of the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project, ODOT spokesperson Rose Gerber says. She said the maintenance is an important first step in that project, though it would have needed to be done even if the broader improvement project were not being undertaken.

This article was updated with additional information from ODOT.

Andrew Schwartz

Andrew Schwartz

Andrew Schwartz writes about health care. He's spent years reporting on political and spiritual movements, most recently covering religion and immigration for the Chattanooga Times Free Press, and before this as a freelancer covering labor and public policy for various magazines. He began his career at the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin.

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