I-5 Rose Quarter project cost jumps to $3.6B

Zoom in: The massive project aims to add freeway lanes, cap portions of I-5 and build a pedestrian bridge.

• Officials say the changes will improve safety, spur community development and help rebuild parts of Portland's Black community, which was displaced when the freeway was built.

But internal documents obtained by the Oregonian show the new $3.6 billion price tag is 50% higher than last year's roughly $2 billion estimate.

• The state has secured around $480 million for the project, but that money has already been used or allocated.
• Yes, but: State officials told the Oregonian that, although the new figures were the product of months of analysis, the documents were not an official cost estimate.

Catch up quick: The project received $450 million in federal grants in 2024, but most of that money was rescinded by the Trump administration last year.

• The Oregon Department of Transportation also remains in a deep budget hole, with state lawmakers expected to try again next year to agree on a funding package.

What they're saying: The rapidly rising costs have forced planners to break the project into smaller pieces, which have then caused costs to rise even more, interim project director Monica Blanchard told the Oregonian.

• "The more the project is divided up into smaller parts, the more expensive the total project will be."

Reality check: The project has also faced pushback from critics who argue that adding lanes will only incentivize drivers and add to congestion, rather than alleviate it.

What's next: Despite the lack of funding, construction on some smaller aspects of the project began last summer.

• Critical repairs to bridge joints, repaving and repainting of lane lines will shut down parts of southbound I-5 for up to five weeks starting next month.
• But the overall timeline of the larger project remains in doubt, with completion now estimated to be no earlier than 2036.