Public Comment Period Opens for the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project Supplemental Environmental Assessment

For immediate release: November 15, 2022

Contact: Jenny Cherrytree, (503) 307-3729, jenny.cherrytree@odot.oregon.gov

PORTLAND – The Oregon Department of Transportation invites the public to comment on the Supplemental Environmental Assessment for the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project. The public comment period is open from Tuesday, November 15, 2022 to Wednesday, January 4, 2023 at midnight.

“The comment period is a vital step in gaining feedback from the community,” said Megan Channell, ODOT project director. “This improvements project has been shaped significantly by public input, and we look forward to closely reviewing the comments to collaborate with our community and project partners.”

The Supplemental Environmental Assessment is an update to the 2019 Environmental Assessment and 2020 Revised Environmental Assessment. It evaluates the potential impacts and benefits of the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project on the natural, human and built environments.

After the 2019 Environmental Assessment, the Oregon Transportation Commission directed an Independent Cover Assessment that looked at changes to the highway cover design. A highway cover is a concrete and steel platform that is placed over a highway, similar to a wide bridge. Based on community feedback and design refinements, a single, larger highway cover capable of supporting up to six-story buildings was proposed for the project. The Supplemental Environmental Assessment looks closely at those proposed design changes, now called the Proposed Hybrid 3 Cover Concept.

In 2020, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved the Environmental Assessment for the original Rose Quarter project design but, due to the design changes with the Hybrid 3 cover concept made since then, FHWA determined that an updated Supplemental Environmental Assessment was needed. This public comment period is a component of that Supplemental Environmental Assessment.

To make it as easy as possible to comment, the agency has extended the public comment period to 50 days from the typical public comment period of 30 days.

Ways to provide comments on the Supplemental Environmental Assessment include:

• Online Open House and Project Website – Learn about the project, read the Supplemental Environmental Assessment and provide your feedback on its findings through the online open house or project website. Open: November 15, 2022 – January 4, 2023.
• Virtual Public Hearing– Provide your verbal comments. 

  The name and number for people to call for accommodations is Rose Gerber at 503-470-3127, or call statewide relay at 7-1-1.

  • Wednesday, December 14, 2022, 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
  • Event details are available on the project website: 5rosequarter.org/community/events-meetings 
• Email – i5RoseQuarter@odot.oregon.gov
• Phone – Leave a recorded verbal comment at (503) 470-3127.
• Mail – Attn: Project Manager c/o I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project, 888 SW 5th Ave., Suite 600, Portland, OR 97204.

The Oregon Department of Transportation’s Urban Mobility Strategy is a cohesive approach to make everyday travel safer and more efficient in the Portland metropolitan region.

Urban Mobility Office

Matthew L. Garrett Building

123 NW Flanders St., Portland, OR 97209

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