Historic Albina Advisory Board Advances I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project ‘Hybrid 3’ Highway Cover Option
For Immediate Release
For more information, contact:
Tia Williams, Tia.WILLIAMS@odot.state.or.us, (971) 378-4295
Portland, Ore. – Today at a special meeting, the Historic Albina Advisory Board—a group of community leaders convened by the Oregon Department of Transportation to help guide I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project urban design and neighborhood decisions—advanced the Hybrid 3 highway cover option.
“We have consensus moving forward, as a recommendation from the Historic Albina Advisory Board, to recommend Hybrid 3 be presented to the Oregon Transportation Commission,” facilitator Ericka Warren noted in the meeting.
Board members weighed in with additional recommendation details, including requests that the community will have influence over what is developed on and adjacent to the highway covers, and that the future development creates wealth throughout the historic Albina community.
“These caps represent an opportunity to reconnect the historic Albina community and ensure we are taking real steps toward restorative justice,” said ODOT Project Director Megan Channell. “Though much work remains and key questions still need to be answered, I am glad to see the community come together around a recommendation that can be moved forward to the Oregon Transportation Commission.”
The Hybrid 3 highway cover option was presented as the “win-win” option by Oregon Governor Kate Brown, who convened a series of meetings with stakeholders to find a consensus plan for the path forward and then presented to the board members. The highway caps in the proposed Hybrid 3 option would be able to hold two to three story buildings. The project would also include a reconnected street grid above the highway, as well as new multi-modal infrastructure. On the highway, new auxiliary lanes and reconfigured traffic flow will help improve safety in the corridor and reduce congestion.
Estimates for the entire highway project with the highway caps that could hold two to three story structures are estimated to cost between $1.18 and $1.25 billion.
The Historic Albina Advisory Boards recommendation will be referred to the Oregon Transportation Commission for consideration at their next meeting, Thursday, Sept. 9.
About the project
The I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project is committed to supporting a safer, more just and inclusive Albina community and greater Portland region. The project will make local, regional, and international travel more predictable and reduce frequent crashes on the I-5 corridor, supporting Oregon’s economy, and will create new community connections to support future economic development.
Learn more about the project and sign up for email updates at: www.i5RoseQuarter.org.
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