ODOT Reopens 84 Ramp To Southbound I-5 After 10-Day Closure

PORTLAND, OR – It may not have been a long, national nightmare but for drivers in the Portland area, it might as well have been. The good news is that it's over.

Just after 10 p.m. on Monday, the Oregon Department of Transportation reopened the ramp from westbound I84 to southbound I5.

For ten days, the road had been closed after workers found "extensive" damage to the metal rebar just below the road's surface.

The damage was found by ODOT workers and employees of Hamilton Construction during an inspection. The concrete and rebars had not been replaced since the ramp opened in the early 1960s.

Because of the damage, the concrete had to be removed, the damage to the rebar repaired, and new concrete put in place.

The reopening had been planned for Monday morning but was delayed because of the rain. The closure was the last of three closures this summer of ramps between the two highways. The interchange between I84 and I5 is the busiest in the state.

Photo via ODOT.