All southbound lanes of Interstate 5 near Portland’s Rose Quarter will close for five weeks beginning Sept. 11 as the state’s transportation agency repairs a 2-mile stretch of the highway.

The Oregon Department of Transportation crews will use the round-the-clock closures to fix structural damage caused by decades of weather and heavy use. Crews will also replace old concrete — well over its 25-year lifespan — on an elevated part of the highway south of the Moda Center.

ODOT said in a press release Monday heavy traffic will likely double or triple travel times once detours are in place near the repair sites — assuming drivers stick to their normal routes.

“We’re not gonna sugarcoat it: It will be the worst traffic this region has seen in a while,” said ODOT spokesperson Rose Gerber.

The agency is urging people to use other modes of transportation, travel outside of peak hours or find alternate routes to ease congestion for drivers who have no other option.

ODOT said it is also coordinating with emergency services in the region ahead of the repairs, and encouraging long-distance travelers and freight vehicles to take Interstate 205 through the region.

The repairs will help to avoid more costly and frequent construction down the road, the agency said. According to the release, the full five-week closure is the cheapest, fastest and safest option for workers.

Gerber said ODOT had identified the need for structural repairs before the agency’s I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project began last fall.

“What has been known to us for a while is this area was going to need the road repaired at some point,” Gerber said. “And with this Rose Quarter project, we had the opportunity to price in this preservation work, this kind of maintaining the road to meet current standards.”

The repairs will happen in parallel with the ongoing construction, Gerber said, and will not significantly impact existing work.

“What we’re doing right now is what we could kind of categorize as work that would need to be done, regardless of whether this Quarter project was happening.”

Gerber encourages people to sign up for the project’s text alerts to stay aware of road closures and travel impacts.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/05/05/portland-oregon-interstate-5-moda-transportation-oregon/