New ODOT video looks at new I-205 congestion relief on I-205

Oregon Department of Transportation sent this bulletin at 12/12/2019 09:00 AM PST

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New video from ODOT looks at extensive improvements along I-205

Dec. 12, 2019

For more information, contact Don Hamilton, 503-704-7452, Don.Hamilton@odot.state.or.us

PORTLAND -- ODOT released a new video Thursday featuring community stakeholders and ODOT staff discussing recent congestion relief and safety improvements to Interstate 205 in Portland.

These improvements include new ODOT RealTime traveler information signs, new auxiliary lanes (ramp-to-ramp connections), bike and pedestrian upgrades and new pavement.

The I-205 work is part of the landmark transportation funding package, House Bill 2017 (known as “Keep Oregon Moving”), which is already helping people get their kids to school,  transport goods to market in a timely and safe manner, and get everyone to work and home safely.

In the I-205 project ODOT:

  • Paved nine miles of freeway in both directions between Johnson Creek Boulevard and the Glenn Jackson Bridge, smoothing out the ride for travelers.
  • Constructed three auxiliary lanes to help reduce conflicts with merging traffic, ease congestion and improve safety at key bottleneck locations. ODOT is building one more expected to open in late 2019 or early 2020.
  • Installed ODOT RealTime signs that give drivers the ability to make informed travel decisions by providing them with real-time information about traffic flow and roadway conditions – to help everyone get where they’re going safely and efficiently. After ODOT installed RealTime signs on Oregon 217, the number of crashes dropped by nearly 11 percent in the first year.

This completed project, which came in on time and on budget, brings significant benefits to commuters, and freight operators through bottleneck relief and increased safety in this critical freeway corridor.

Auxiliary lanes are designed to separate the slower vehicles entering and exiting the highway from the higher speed vehicles continuing to drive along the highway. They increase safety by providing drivers more time to merge, reducing crashes and congestion. They are built either from one interchange to the next or span several interchanges.  ODOT expects the new auxiliary lanes to reduce the frequency of crashes by up to 30 percent and help ease traffic flow at bottlenecks.

The new I-205 auxiliary lanes are:

  • Northbound between Powell Boulevard and the ramp to westbound Interstate 84.
  • Northbound between the ramp from eastbound I-84 and Killingsworth Street.
  • Southbound between the ramp to eastbound I-84 and Division Street/Powell Boulevard.
  • Northbound between Oregon 224 and Sunnyside Road/Sunnybrook Boulevard, expected to open in 2020.

The ODOT RealTime traveler information signs give drivers the ability to make informed travel decisions by providing real-time information about travel times, traffic flow and roadway conditions.

For more information, check out this project fact sheet.