Southbound I-5 will begin reopening Wednesday evening as work on the Rose Quarter project wraps up

PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) – The I-5 Rose Neighborhood Improvement Project is completed more than a week ahead of schedule, according to Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) officials.

ODOT made the announcement during a press conference Wednesday. Officials say crews just need to redraw the southbound lanes and then the highway will be open to traffic again. The overhaul work is expected to begin Wednesday evening.

The reopening will begin Wednesday at 10 p.m. Officials say it will take about 24 hours to fully reopen I-5.

The lanes are expected to begin reopening to traffic around noon on Thursday, Oct. 8, ODOT said. During this time, some entrance lanes and ramps will remain closed while crews recover all equipment and redesign the highway.

There will be short-term closures of the Broadway off-ramp, North Going Street on-ramp, North Alberta Street on-ramp, I-405 southbound split from I-5 southbound (only after I-5 southbound reopens), and off-ramp lanes from I-84 westbound to I-5 southbound throughout the night while crews are removing the temporary marking and reinstalling the permanent marking in its original configuration, ODOT said.

“We ask drivers to be attentive, exercise caution, obey speed limits and give workers space to complete the job. The best action the public can take in the next 24 hours is to try to avoid the area while the highway reopens,” officials said at the news conference. “Tripcheck.com will have the latest information for route planning.”

Watch the full press conference below.

The project began on September 11 and was scheduled to last five weeks, with a completion date of October 16.

The project repaired and strengthened weak areas along southbound I-5 in Portland’s Rose neighborhood. Crews also replaced bridge joints and repaved the highway surface.

Workers also removed the concrete surface layer from the elevated structure just south of the Moda Center, making structural repairs to the base layer and replacing the concrete surface.