PROJECT STATUS
On November 6, 2020, the Federal Highway Administration released the Finding of No Significant Impact and Revised Environmental Assessment for the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project. Click here for the documents. Design work for the project continues and the independent highway cover assessment is currently underway. Click here to learn more about the highway covers and the independent assessment.
Project Description
The I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project adds auxiliary lanes and shoulders to reduce congestion and improve safety on the main north-south freeway on the west coast and redesigns the multimodal local street network. The project will smooth traffic flow on I-5 between I-84 and I-405 where three interstates intersect and feature the biggest traffic bottleneck in Oregon. The project also will improve community connections by redesigning overpasses and reconnecting neighborhood streets, enhancing public spaces, and promoting economic development opportunities. The project’s transportation improvements allow the City to implement the development goals for the N/NE area and realize the City’s Central City 2035 Plan.
Visit the FAQ or news pages for more information and project updates.
History in Albina and Looking to the Future
In the 1950s and 1960s, construction of I-5, the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Emanuel Legacy Hospital, Portland Public School Blanchard site, and urban renewal divided and displaced communities in North and Northeast Portland, impacting communities of color, especially African American communities, in the historic Albina neighborhood.
With the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project, ODOT has the opportunity to design a process to actively engage affected communities to find design solutions that reduce some of the barriers created by the construction of these historic projects. ODOT anticipates the project will generate more opportunities for economic development and redevelopment in the Albina neighborhood.
For the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project, ODOT is changing the way it does business by setting goals and working to achieve values-based outcomes on how the project will contract with minority-owned Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) and engage with the community.