Southbound I-5 closure impacts will reach beyond Rose Quarter
Newsrooms: Download B-roll of the project area and look for video and stills of this morning’s press conference in the ODOT news conference folder here.
News media Contact: Rose Gerber.
Aug. 27, 2026
PORTLAND – An extended closure of the southbound Interstate 5 lanes through the Rose Quarter could bring significant delays. Travelers should start planning now, officials said on Thursday.
Starting at 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, southbound Interstate 5 will close for about five weeks in the Rose Quarter. Crews will work around the clock to conduct critical repairs and improve safety.
ODOT Director Chris Warner, project leaders and Portland city officials gathered Thursday to urge travelers to prepare for the closure and be ready for its impacts on traffic in the Portland area and beyond.
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 Portland.
“I know this will be difficult for a lot of people,” Interim Director Warner said Thursday at the joint news conference. “You have my commitment that we will reopen I-5 as soon as we can.”
Repairs of the elevated section of I-5 just south of the Moda Center were last done in 1985, over 40 years ago and beyond the expected 25-year life span of the concrete surface. Without a full repair, more frequent and expensive emergency repairs will be needed.
ODOT evaluated several options on how to do this critical work.The full closure is the quickest and most cost-efficient approach. Oregon is saving up to $9 million in construction costs compared to other methods.
“We expect significant delays and unpredictable travel times for I-5 and I-405 – as well as many parallel and alternate routes in the city,” ODOT Project Delivery Manager David Kim said. “Even if you don’t usually use I-5 southbound, your travel times will be affected with travelers seeking different routes.”
Whether you are driving, using TriMet, walking or biking, travelers are encouraged to plan ahead. I-5 is a major travel and freight corridor on the West Coast – especially in Portland where it meets Interstate 84 and Interstate 405 in the Rose Quarter.
“We will be working 24/7 in three shifts so that we take advantage of every minute the interstate is closed and can reopen it as quickly as possible,” said Kenn Hallquist, Construction Project Manager with Hamilton-Sundt Joint Venture.
“The city of Portland provides essential services every day,” Portland City Administrator Raymond Lee said. Portland Bureau of Transportation "crews will delay all non-emergency work in the affected area until the I-5 closure is lifted. We want to make sure that city crews are not adding to the congestion during this closure.”
Lee urged travelers to “shift your trip” and use other ways to get around or change the time of your trip. “You can spend time touring a local business center and avoid peak congestion times.”
Mary Hill, TriMet Executive Director of Transportation, said this closure is a good time to try TriMet if you haven’t before:
“TriMet Max may be the best way to get around the closure,” Hill said. “The Max Yellow Line runs parallel to I-5 from the Moda Center to downtown.” She noted that due to additional traffic from I-5, “Riders should be prepared for bus travel to take longer than usual.”
Rick Graves, Portland Fire and Rescue Public Information Officer, reminded drivers about the legal responsibility to move over for emergency vehicles.
“When Portland fire and rescue responds, what we ask of you now during this congested period, and what we ask for all the time, is just to pull to the right of the road so we can get to the emergency,” Graves said. “We need the middle of the road open to us.”
Travel impacts:
- I-5 southbound on-ramps from Alberta, Greeley and Interstate 405 northbound/Fremont Bridge will be closed.
- All I-5 southbound travel will be detoured to I-405 southbound. 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.
- I-84 westbound to I-5 southbound will remain open.
- I-5 northbound will remain open.
Work planned for this closure
- The elevated structure just south of the Moda Center has ruts, cracks and potholes from decades of heavy use and weather, which leads to further structural degradation. Crews will remove the concrete surface layer, conduct critical structural repairs to the base layer and then replace the concrete surface.
- The concrete was last replaced in 1985. The repairs will avoid further decay and more frequent, costly and emergency repairs.
About the project
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 phases of 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.
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.
Rose Quarter project resources:
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