Swan Island businesses brace for I-5 closure
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Swan Island as seen from Mock's Crest. Photo: Meira Gebel/Axios
A concrete truck leaving Swan Island has about 90 minutes to reach a construction site before its load becomes unusable.
- That tight timeline is about to collide with the five-week Interstate 5 southbound closure, which Swan Island businesses expect will snarl the industrial district's main routes.
The big picture: Think of Swan Island as a cul-de-sac. It's technically a peninsula (though it was once a natural island), and workers largely rely on I-5 to get on and off — leaving little room to avoid the disruption.
- And some businesses there are bracing for the worst.
"Right from day one, it's going to be financially difficult for an awful lot of the businesses," Corky Collier, executive director of the Columbia Corridor Association, told Axios.
State of play: Some of the biggest companies on or near the island, like Adidas and Daimler Truck, are encouraging employees to work remotely or take transit, Collier said.
- Others, like Vigor, which does ship maintenance and repair, are shifting work schedules to avoid peak traffic.
Yes, but: Most of Swan Island's workforce — about 150 businesses and roughly 14,000 employees — can't simply stay home or hop on MAX.
- Shipyard contractors need to haul tools and equipment, while freight businesses move time-sensitive materials.
- Plus: Vegan drive-thru Face Plant relies on customers stopping by, and Premier Press has clients with tight deadlines.
Between the lines: Collier said the Swan Island Business Association (SIBA) is exploring shuttle service to connect workers with transit near the Expo Center.
- Leading up to the closure, Collier said he pushed ODOT for some route changes, like reopening the southbound Greeley ramp as a relief valve for trucks, but didn't have much luck.
The bottom line: Most traffic plans are already locked in. Routes are set, signs are made and construction crews have their plans.
- Collier said ODOT agreed to meet with SIBA one week into the closure to assess what's working and where traffic is breaking down.
- Even seemingly simple fixes come with tradeoffs, though. "Every solution creates a problem, and it's a matter of figuring out which solution creates the least net problem," he said.