Rose Quarter project: short July sign closure; Sept. 11 southbound I‑5 closure planned for up to five weeks

Monica Blanchard, interim project director for the Rose Quarter project, told the C4 Metro subcommittee on June 17 that crews will close both directions of I‑5 between I‑84 and I‑405 for up to 14 hours overnight on July 11 to install an overhead sign structure and that a separate, longer closure will begin Sept. 11.

"Starting on September 11th, we'll be closing all lanes of I‑5 southbound through the Rose Quarter… for up to 5 weeks," Blanchard said, describing the work as a deck replacement on a section last rebuilt in 1985. She said the first phase of construction is roughly 40% complete.

The project team warned elected officials that travel times during the multiweek closure could be "two or three times longer than normal" during peak hours, and that congestion will extend beyond the freeway onto local streets and potentially into Washington on parallel routes. Staff urged travelers to plan ahead, use transit where possible, and consider diverting at I‑205 when trips are through‑traffic.

Blanchard said the project is being delivered in phases after a federal funding rescission required resequencing. "What is funded is Phase 1A — that's what's under construction — and 1B is funded. 1C was impacted by the recision of the federal funds and is now unfunded," she said, describing 1C as roughly the first third of the highway cover and associated auxiliary lane work.

Councilor Anderson pressed staff on which elements the federal contribution would pay for; Blanchard said updated funded/unfunded amounts and a revised cost estimate are expected in August, and that the MTIP amendment being considered will revise scope and budgets to reflect that sequencing.

David Kim, ODOT's statewide project delivery manager supporting the project, said the southbound closure is the quickest, safest and lowest‑cost way to complete long‑duration deck work for a higher‑quality concrete surface and to avoid frequent returns for repairs. He said the project team is coordinating regionally to avoid overlapping closures with other projects.

Outreach and mitigation: Blanchard said the team has ramped up public outreach with paid advertising, mailers, in‑person events and a communications toolkit on the project website. She named Rose Gerber as the project's public information officer and offered fact sheets and social media assets for jurisdictions and partners to share. Staff also said the planned closure will be registered in regional traffic systems so navigation apps pick up the closures and that variable message signs will be used regionally — including in Washington — to notify drivers.

The project team noted that modeling and real‑time data collection are planned to measure diversion and travel impacts. Several elected officials urged early coordination with counties and cities along the I‑205 corridor to collect pre‑ and post‑closure measurements so the region can analyze diversion effects.

What happens next: The project team will continue outreach through the summer and provide updated cost and funding information in August as part of the MTIP amendment process; officials will see related materials at JPAC and in Metro committee materials in coming weeks.