PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) – If you plan on heading through the Portland area this weekend, you may want to re-think your plans or add extra time to your travel as a portion of I-5 will be closed.
About four miles of I-5 will be shutting down beginning Friday night so that the bridge on 26th, which carries more than 100,000 cars a day, can get a face-lift.
According to ODOT, the deck over 26th Ave. in southwest Portland is worn out and nearing the end of its life. The new deck will be a smoother ride for drivers and have new bike lanes.
To cater to the new look, a four-mile stretch of I-5 will be closed in both directions beginning Friday night for construction.
The $13 million project began more than a year ago using a new construction method. ODOT says crews built the new bridge underneath the existing one.
This not only saved the project $5.5 million and 6 months’ worth of work but allowed this portion of I-5 to remain open, reducing the impact on traffic.
The four-mile stretch- from SW Terwilliger to Capitol Highway will close between the SW Barbur Blvd. off-ramp and the SW Terwilliger Blvd. on-ramp.
Seven on-ramps will be closed on I-5 northbound and two on the southbound side.
If you need to go through the Portland area, you can take 217 through Tigard to Hwy 26 or take the east side using I-205 though Clackamas to I-84 through northeast Portland.
I-5 is scheduled to reopen around 5 a.m. on Monday morning, July 1, 2024.
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