Portland's I-5 shutdown starts Friday
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Call it carmageddon. Call it the traffocalypse. Whatever you call it, the way many Portlanders get around is set to be upended starting this week.
The big picture: A busy stretch of southbound Interstate 5 through the Rose Quarter will completely shut down around 10pm Friday for more than five weeks as construction crews repave, resurface and reinforce parts of the freeway.
- State transportation officials are expecting travel on I-5 — not the fastest thoroughfare to start with — to take two to three times longer than usual.
What to expect: Southbound drivers will begin merging to the right starting at North Killingsworth Street and traffic will be detoured onto southbound I-405 and over the Fremont Bridge.
- A single lane will remain open to the Broadway/Wiedler exit to access the Moda Center.
- The North Alberta Street, North Greeley Avenue and Northeast Wheeler onramps will all be shut down.
- And the ramp from northbound I-405 onto southbound I-5 will be closed as well.
Drivers heading west on I-84 will still be able to access north and southbound I-5. Small comforts are still comforts.
What they're doing: The main focus of the fix will be an elevated section of roadway just south of Moda.
- The freeway was last resurfaced more than 30 years ago and is rutted and filled with potholes and cracks.
- Crews will peel up the concrete, repair the base layer and lay down a fresh slab.
Between the lines: Officials said the five-week period starting Friday was the only time the work could be done in one continuous period between holidays and special events, while giving the concrete time to dry when it's not too hot and not too wet.
Follow the money: The closure is just a small part of the larger Rose Quarter Improvement project, which aims to add freeway lanes, cap portions of I-5 and build a pedestrian bridge.
- But the $3.6 billion project has only secured a fraction of the required funding, and its future is uncertain as estimates continue to climb.
What they're saying: Officials are urging anyone who can avoid the area to do so by using I-205, taking public transit or skipping their trips altogether, if possible.
- "If you have flexibility to change your travel plans, whether that's traveling during off-peak times, using public transit, or planning an alternate route, please do," David Kim, the Oregon Department of Transportation's statewide project delivery manager, said in a statement.
- Drivers can sign up for alerts about the project's progress or check any of the dozens of traffic cameras in the area to monitor backups.
The bottom line: Buckle up — or better yet, don't — and pack your patience. It's going to be a long five weeks.