I-5 Closure Hits Portland Commutes | Portland News

0:00Alright, so the Oregon Department of Transportation, ODOT, is kicking off a big project to improve the Rose Quarter area and that means shutting down. A section of I-5 starting Friday, they're saying this is going to last for about 5 weeks so it's a pretty significant stretch of time. Now, even with the main lanes closed, they did keep one specific on-ramp open for the Southbound I-5, the one at Wheeler and Williams Avenue. This was mainly to help out folks heading to the Motor Center for that Weezer Concert that went down Friday night. You had thousands of fans showing up and a lot of them were smart, opting for the Max Light Rail to dars the inevitable traffic headaches. People were saying they'd rather not risk getting stuck on the freeway and missing the show, which is a solid move when you're trying to catch your favorite band. But for those who did drive, that specific on-ramp was open until about 11.30pm on Friday. However, the real impact is set to hit starting Saturday and especially when weekday commutes begin.

1:00ODOT is warning that drive times during peak hours could actually double or even triple. So, the advice from officials is pretty straightforward. If you can adjust your schedule to avoid those peak travel times, definitely do it. This closure is a big deal and will affect how people get around Portland for the next month. From your city, powered by AI, this is Portland News Today.