Expect delays on Interstate 5 south of Ashland this Memorial Day holiday weekend

Oregon Department of Transportation sent this bulletin at 05/25/2022 04:20 PM PDT

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Expect delays on Interstate 5 south of Ashland this Memorial Day holiday weekend

Paving operations on Interstate 5 south of Ashland

May 26, 2022

For more information, contact Gary Leaming, 541-621-3074

ASHLAND - Drivers on the Interstate 5 corridor between Ashland and the California border should expect delays due to construction on Siskiyou Summit.

While ODOT will pull most statewide highway lane restrictions over the holiday weekend, the single lane of traffic each in direction on I-5 south of Ashland will continue. That full depth reconstruction of the southbound slow lane continues into next month. Drivers should give themselves more time and extra following distance for safety.

Expect a busy holiday weekend on Oregon roads. AAA Oregon predicts that 530,000 Oregonians will travel over the Memorial Day weekend, Thursday, May 26 through Monday, May 30, an increase over the more hesitant pandemic travel patterns of 2021.

Here are some tips for making sure you have a safe trip on the road.

  • Check your route on Tripcheck.com. We’ve added more cameras showing road conditions and more real travel times. Construction work may pause over the Memorial Day weekend but you may still see equipment staged at the side of the road for when it’s time to start up again. 
  • Be careful! Last year in Oregon, cars were the number one source of summer wildfires. Do your part to prevent them. If you have to pull off the road, stay on hard surfaces and avoid dry grass. Never toss a lit cigarette or any burning materials from you vehicle. We all need to help stop wildfires.
  • Rules of the road. Know what to expect. The Move Over Law says you must move to another lane if an emergency vehicle is on the side of the road with lights flashing. If you can’t change lanes, slow down. ODOT Incident Responders are on the road to respond to incidents with other first responder partners. Brush up on the rules of the road in the 2022-2023 Oregon Driver Manual.
  • Driving electric? Look for upgraded charging stations on Interstates 5 and 84 and U.S. 101. Some of these chargers are part of the West Coast Electric Highway and now have upgraded plug types that can connect to more EV models. Oregon has about 2,100 public EV charging stations and we’re about to get a lot more along major roads, courtesy of ODOT’s pledge of $100 million for EV charging infrastructure.
  • Be Prepared. Make sure your vehicle is in good working order before you head out. Check your coolant, hoses and tires. Have emergency supplies in your vehicle. Food, water, extra medications, a first aid kit, a paper road map, phone charger, jumper cables, a safety vest and a flashlight all may come in handy as you travel.

Know before you go and have a safe trip wherever you go and however you choose to get there.

For pictures illustrating this project, visit our Flickr Album.