Five-Week I-5 Closure Starts Sept. 11

Central Portland Drivers Should Plan Ahead

Moda Center and Freeway (Photo: Oregon Department of Transportation)

Less than a month remains until the extended closure of southbound Interstate 5 in the Rose Quarter begins.

Southbound I-5 will close as part of the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project starting Friday, Sept. 11, for up to five weeks. Crews will repair and reinforce weak areas, replace bridge joints, repave the surface and repaint lane lines on the interstate. 

Whether you are commuting or on a vacation trip, drive a car or truck, use TriMet, or walk or bike, ODOT encourages you to plan ahead. I-5 is a major travel and freight corridor on the West Coast – especially in Portland where it meets another major corridor, Interstate 84, and Interstate 405 in the Rose Quarter.

“We evaluated several options on how to do this vital portion of the project, and the full closure is the quickest and most efficient way to do it,” ODOT Project Delivery Manager David Kim said. “Crews will work 24/7 and reopen the interstate as soon as the work is completed.”

Depending on the time of day, travel times may take two to three times longer than usual. Congestion could sometimes back up across the Columbia River into Washington and onto local streets in the Portland area.  

“Even if you don’t use I-5, your travel may be affected by the temporary changes in traffic patterns as people use alternate routes and different ways to get around,” Kim said. “So you might want to plan ahead and give yourself extra time..” 

Whether you’re traveling locally or on a long-distance trip for work or pleasure, consider planning how to get around construction – before your trip. You might find an alternative that works for you from ODOT's list of alternate options here. 

Find out more in this southbound I-5 closure overview video.

Travel impacts will include closures of the I-5 southbound on-ramps from Alberta, Greeley and Interstate 405 northbound/Fremont Bridge. All I-5 southbound travel will be detoured to I-405 southbound, while regional traffic will be directed to Interstate 205. One lane of I-5 southbound will remain open to the Broadway exit by the Moda Center, and I-84 westbound to I-5 southbound will remain open. I-5 northbound will also remain open.

Construction of the Rose Quarter project is being completed in phases as funding becomes available. Current work is focused on preserving existing infrastructure and preparing the project area for future construction. Funded construction will be complete by the end of 2029. 

The long-term goal is to improve safety and reduce congestion where three major interstates converge, and to reconnect the Albina neighborhood with the construction of a cover over a portion of I-5. 

The 1.8-mile project area contains the only two-lane section of I-5 in a major urban area between Canada and Mexico. It has the highest crash rate on any urban interstate in Oregon and is the state's top traffic bottleneck. 

An average of about 120,000 vehicles travel through this section of I-5 – including about 11,700 trucks carrying more than $100 million worth of goods, according to estimates.