Here’s how to get around the big I-5 south closure that starts on Friday

The closure starts Sept. 11 and will last up to five weeks, impacting tens of thousands of drivers in the middle of Portland.

PORTLAND, Ore. — The long-dreaded Interstate 5 closure in Portland is finally here. Starting Friday, Sept. 11, southbound I-5 will be closed to all traffic at the Rose Quarter for a major construction project. The shutdown begins at 10 p.m., according to the Oregon Department of Transportation, although some freeway ramps could start closing an hour earlier. 

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The closure will be in place 24/7 and last up to 5 weeks, impacting tens of thousands of drivers. 

What will be closed?

The closure includes all lanes of I-5 south through the Rose Quarter, including the flyover ramp to eastbound Interstate 84. It also includes all the entrance ramps on the approach to the closure zone, so there will be no access to I-5 south from North Greeley Avenue, Interstate 405 across the Fremont Bridge or Northeast Wheeler Avenue.

All southbound traffic approaching the closure zone will be urged to detour onto southbound I-405. Any drivers who stay on I-5 south past the Fremont Bridge exit will be forced off at the following exit for North Broadway and Weidler streets.

How do I get around it?

For you’re a driver coming in on I-5 south, the most straightforward detour is to get on I-405 and rejoin I-5 at the south end of downtown, or exit from I-405 if downtown is your destination — though you’ll probably be one of many, many people doing the same thing, so be prepared for heavy traffic. 

Staying on until the Broadway and Weidler exit and then trying to find your way back to I-5 is discouraged — that exit will be intended only for local traffic, and ODOT has said it’s working to identify areas where it expects more cut-through traffic and plans to put up barricades to keep drivers on the main routes.

If you’re trying to get to eastbound I-84, there are two options: you can either loop all the way around by taking I-405 south and then merging onto I-5 north to cross the Marquam Bridge and take the I-84 exit, or you can exit I-405 downtown and try your luck at using surface streets to reach the I-84 onramp from the Morrison Bridge, or one of the onramps on the inner east side from Northeast Grand Avenue or Northeast Irving Street.

If you want to bypass the whole thing, you can go the long way by crossing the river on Interstate 205 and heading into Portland on I-84, which bypasses the whole closure zone and the associated traffic mess — at least in theory. Again, a lot of other drivers might have the same idea, so we won’t know the full traffic impact until the closure starts.

Drivers coming in on northbound I-5 will have an easier trip — all of the northbound lanes through the Rose Quarter will stay open, at least this time around. The whole closure is intended to give crews room to replace the southbound half of the deck on an I-5 overpass, and ODOT has warned that a similar closure of northbound I-5 will happen at some point next year to replace the other half of the deck.

Officials are also encouraging people to take public transit, carpool or rideshare when possible during the closure.