Rose Quarter I-5 closure will end early

Zoom in: Workers are expected to start opening lanes around 7pm Wednesday, though officials said the process will take some time, per KGW.

Catch up quick: The road was shut down Sept. 11 for repairs on an elevated section just south of the Moda Center.

• The freeway was last resurfaced more than 30 years ago and was rutted and filled with potholes and cracks.
• Crews peeled up the concrete, repaired the base layer and laid down a fresh slab.

Zoom out: Before the closure, transportation officials warned of traffic mayhem, with travel times doubling or tripling.

• That kind of chaos never materialized, though, with many drivers avoiding the road altogether or finding alternate routes to steer clear of the closure.

What's next: State officials plan similar repairs on the northbound lanes next summer, though exact closure dates haven't been announced.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to note that the I-5 closure was expected to last five weeks (not that it actually did).