The creative ways Portlanders are avoiding I-5
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Brake lights for miles. Photo: Meira Gebel/Axios
Portlanders are getting creative in how they're navigating the five-week I-5 southbound closure through the Rose Quarter.
- Many Axios Portland readers who responded to our poll last week said they're trading the freeway for surface streets or major throughways, while others are biking more or simply staying put.
State of play: The shutdown, which runs through mid-October, is forcing drivers, transit riders and pedestrians alike to rethink their routines well beyond their usual commute. But it hasn't been all that bad.
- Nearly half of the 41 readers who took our survey (which is still open!) said they're adding 15 to 30 minutes to their trips.
By the numbers: 49% said they're taking a different route, 37% are leaving earlier and 34% said they're canceling trips altogether.
- Another 29% are working from home more for the next month, while 15% each said they plan to use transit or bike and walk more.
The most popular alternative route mentioned was Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, followed by I-205.
- Several readers pointed to surface streets leading to the Broadway and St. Johns bridges — the latter of which connects to Highway 30 and eventually reconnects with I-405 south after roughly 7 miles.
- Rosa Parks Way as well as 82nd and Interstate avenues were also popular alternatives.
What you're saying: JoAnna Wendel of Overlook, who normally takes I-5 several times a week, said she's using the closure "to force myself to start thinking bike first instead of car first."
- Vancouver resident Shon-Lueiss Harris plans to work from home and skip weekend trips to Portland altogether — even if that means missing out on a birthday breakfast from Fried Egg I'm In Love.
- If work calls, Harris said the MAX Orange Line is the best bet.
Meanwhile, Diana Rempe of Arbor Lodge doesn't plan on changing her bike commute but plans on keeping a close eye on frenetic drivers "cutting through our streets" when taking her granddaughter to school.
- She said she'll be taking greenways and protected lanes "as much as possible."
💠Meira's thought bubble: As a Piedmont resident, I've come to find myself skirting the pile-up by taking Albina and Mississippi to get onto the Steel Bridge and into the Pearl.
- It's not a great reroute, though. My usual 12-minute drive to the gym ended up taking more than 40 — but I wasn't parked on the freeway.
Got an alternative route not mentioned here? Take our survey or email us at [email protected]
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to specify the Portland Bureau of Transportation installed the local access barrels, (not the Oregon Department of Transportation.)