Abstract Manager

Interstate 5 through the heart of downtown Portland, Oregon, is the only section of freeway with two lanes in each direction within a major urban area between Canada and Mexico. This approximately 2-mile stretch of highway is located where three major interstates converge and has the highest crash rate on any urban interstate in Oregon and is one of the state's top traffic bottlenecks. The adjacent local street network is a unique urban environment that includes designated bike corridors with up to 11,000 bicycles per day, multiple bus lines, streetcar, the Rose Quarter entertainment district, and arterials with up to 30,000 ADT. The I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project aims to improve safety and congestion by adding auxiliary lanes and shoulders to I-5 while also redesigning the local street network to improve safety and mobility for all users.

In addition, the Project will create new space for community development by constructing a highway cover over a portion of I-5. During the 1950s and 60s, construction of the federal interstate system displaced more than a million Americans and had a profoundly negative impact on communities of color. In Portland, construction of I-5 cut through the heart of the city’s historic Albina district. Generations of Black families in the Albina neighborhood still experience the lasting harm from the loss of their homes, businesses, and social gathering spaces. This project will replace five existing bridges with a continuous highway cover that will reconnect the two sides of I-5.

This presentation will discuss the evolution of the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project, from a traffic operations and safety improvement project, to one of restorative justice for the communities impacted by the original construction of the interstate. It will also highlight key challenges faced by the project team in balancing capacity needs with the needs of the community.