Portland, Oregon (coin — Transportation officials are preparing for widespread shutdowns along Interstate 5 in Southwest Portland this weekend, with local residents and businesses expecting disruptions to daily life.
The closures are scheduled between the southbound Southwest Terwilliger exit ramp and the Capitol Highway on-ramp, and the northbound Southwest Barber Boulevard exit ramp and the Terwilliger on-ramp. A total of four miles of road will be affected during construction to replace the bridge over Southwest 26th Street. The closures will begin at 9pm on Friday and end at 5am on Monday, July 1.
People who would normally have to travel on the highway may be able to get to their destinations, but it may take longer to get there. KOIN 6 News For a detailed breakdown of the alternative routes please see this link.
In theory, increased traffic on nearby roads may seem like a good thing for local businesses, but one local bar owner who spoke with KOIN 6 News said he's bracing for less business.
“We're expecting sales to be down 40 to 50 percent,” said Patrick Murphy, owner of The Old Barn on Southwest Barber Boulevard. “I know people say, 'There's a lot of traffic,' and that's true, but they're not necessarily wanting to go out for lunch or dinner or whatever.”
Murphy said the local watering hole typically hosts dozens of customers on its busiest days, especially Friday and Saturday nights.
Neighbors and regular customers at the Old Barn said they are a bit confused and frustrated by the idea of a four-mile stretch of highway being completely closed for several days.
“I don't understand why they would close the highway for an entire weekend,” Chantal Wright said. “This is extreme. If you live near I-5, you're going to hear this construction all night long.”
Murphy said he shared those frustrations but understood why infrastructure improvements would cause such inconvenience.
“When you see construction that's going to lead to improvements, I think most people are in favor and willing to put up with some inconvenience,” Murphy said. “We're here, we're open, please come visit us.”
Oregon Department of Transportation spokesman Don Hamilton explained the urgency of replacing the bridge to KOIN 6 News.
“This bridge is nearing the end of its useful life. It needs to be made safe and seismically strengthened,” he said. “If we had planned ahead, we wouldn't have had this chaos. Any time a major road like Interstate 5 is taken out of service and taken out of the transportation system, it's going to cause a lot of problems.”
Traffic jams and delays, including detours, are expected this weekend around the I-5 bridge at Southwest 26th Street. Officials say the bridge was built in 1959 and widened in the 1980s and currently carries about 100,000 vehicles a day.
