The Oregon Department of Transportation announced Wednesday afternoon that a construction project that closed Interstate 5 southbound through Portland’s Rose Quarter would wrap early.
Crews will begin the process of reopening lanes and ramps around 10 p.m. Wednesday.
Construction on Interstate 5 on Oct. 5, 2026, in Portland, Ore.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
Officials also said they would continue working and cleaning up in the area for up to 24 hours after the lanes start to reopen. During cleanup, some lane and ramp openings will remain closed as crews pick up equipment and re-stripe the road. The interstate is expected to reopen to traffic midday Thursday, Oct. 8. ODOT said it would send an alert when I-5 south and all on and off ramps are completely open.
“We ask that people bear with us a little longer as we wrap up this closure,” Oregon Department of Transportation spokesperson Rose Gerber said.
The best thing that travelers can do to help the road open is to stay clear of the area just a little bit longer until we get the highway officially open.”
The construction and repairs to I-5 started on Friday, Sept. 11, and were expected to last for five weeks. The project is ending about a week early. ODOT officials said mild weather and minimal disruptions to construction helped the project end about a week ahead of schedule.
Crews worked 24 hours a day to replace old concrete and make the 2-mile stretch of road more earthquake-ready. Crews also repaired rebar, replaced bridge joints, upgraded barriers and railings, prepped space near the I-84 off-ramp at the Moda Center to extend the merging lane next year and relocated a sign for the Morrision/OMSI exit for better visibility.
Traffic on Interstate 5 and nearby streets during the closure was not as bad as originally predicted because many people changed their travel habits during the closure.
Transportation officials expected commute times to potentially double or triple if drivers continued using the same routes, but traffic conditions stabilized after the first couple of weeks as people adapted.
ODOT said construction on I-5 will continue as upgrades for earthquake resilience and rail replacements continue. Single lane overnight closures and occasional street closures in the Rose Quarter will occur through next Spring.
Soon, ODOT will announce plans for a similar closure of I-5 northbound through the Rose Quarter that is expected to start in the summer of 2027.
