The Quarter Rose I-5 improvement project in Portland, Ore., secured a $450 million federal grant and won critical environmental review approval this week, moving the long-awaited project forward.
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the City of Portland project will add feeder lanes to Interstate 5 and build a freeway deck to support the reconnection of the city’s Albina community to downtown from the city. In the 1950s and 1960s, the I-5 freeway was built through the heart of the community, removing hundreds of predominantly black-owned homes. The interstate also separated the Albina neighborhood from the Willamette River and downtown Portland.
Funding comes from a US Department of Transportation (USDOT) Neighborhood and Community Reconnection grant. A finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for Federal Highway Administration (FWHA) environmental review approval will allow ODOT to move forward with a more detailed design of the project.
“This federal environmental decision combined with substantial funding highlights the alignment of supporters who want to see this project built,” ODOT project manager Megan Channell said in a statement.
The project now includes a single, more substantial carriageway deck that is expected to support the development. It is intended to reconnect and improve access to local streets and add pedestrian, bicycle and ADA facilities, including a dedicated pedestrian and bicycle-only bridge over the interstate that runs through downtown Portland.
Portland also got an extra Subsidy Reconnection of Neighborhoods and Communities of $38 million for the Broadway as Main Street project, an effort that complements and expands on planned investments in the Rose Quarter.
The project is now supported by 15 partners at the federal, state, regional, local and community levels, including the Albina Vision Trust, a nonprofit neighborhood advocacy group.
“The I-5 Rose Quarter project has come a long way,” said Millicent Williams, director of the Portland Bureau of Transportation, in a statement. “Thanks to the deep involvement of local community stakeholders who are part of the Historic Albina Advisory Council, the leadership of the Albina Vision Trust and the work of PBOT staff, this project has gone from exacerbating the damage from the past to an effort that can help repair and restore a community.”
Representation courtesy of USDOT
The I-5 Rose Quarter project calls for the construction of five freeway “caps” that will restore street-level access between the Albina neighborhood and downtown Portland.
Improvements to the I-5 major highway will feature wider shoulders to support faster emergency response times. The plan will build auxiliary lanes to improve traffic flow, relocate the southbound exit ramp from Vancouver/Broadway south near the Moda Center to support redevelopment opportunities, and build an overpass structure to direct 60% of I-5 off-ramp traffic. east of I-5 away from the Rose Quarter district.
“This federal investment,” Williams says, “will help Portland restore and revitalize what was once Oregon’s largest and most vibrant black neighborhood.”
The design process for the project began in 2017 and originally included two smaller freeway decks. This design did not have full community support, leading ODOT to create the Albina Historic Advisory Council made up of black community leaders. Public workshops, online open houses, surveys and meetings led to the design of the single highway deck capable of supporting the buildings. The final design received environmental approval from the FHWA.
The $450 million grant will be used to complete the design and build the central portion of the road deck.
“This catalytic federal investment represents the beginning of a new chapter, where government plays an active role not only in healing the damage of history, but also in investing in community-driven visions of a better tomorrow.” , Winta Yohannes, Chief Executive of Albina Vision Trust. says in a statement. The trust and advisory board call the grant and project more than just project funding, but a step toward rebuilding Albina.
The I-5 Rose Quarter improvement project aims to reconnect the neighborhood, but also address a heavy traffic bottleneck where Interstates 5, 405 and 84 converge in the Rose Quarter, forcing traffic to two lanes. The area is the worst traffic bottleneck in the state and has 12 hours of congestion every day. The fast merge slows traffic and causes 3.5 times more accidents than the average Oregon location.
Auxiliary lanes can help move travelers from one interstate to another without merging with traffic.
