About

Design & Construction

Project Status

As defined in the June 2023 Urban Mobility Strategy Finance Plan, we’re focusing on these priorities to maximize available funding for the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project:

  • completing the environmental review process
  • advancing Early Work Packages A and B to 100% design
  • advancing Early Work Package C toward final design
  • advancing the Main Construction Package to 30% design

At this time, funding for project construction is not available. The project team is continuing to prepare for future funding opportunities needed to complete the project design and begin construction.

Design

On June 26, 2023, ODOT released a draft Urban Mobility Strategy Finance Plan. The finance plan confirms funding for completing the environmental review process and design for Early Work Packages A and B, advancing Early Work Package C toward final design and advancing the Main Construction Package toward 30% design. The project team will focus on these priorities, on ways to finance the project and on preparation for construction. ODOT is actively applying for federal grants and pursuing other funding opportunities. 

Design for the Main Construction Package, which includes the highway cover, will be determined through a public process in partnership with the City of Portland and ODOT. The process includes the development of preferred opening-day and longer-term development concepts, street and path design, and options for governance and financing, followed by the formation of a Community Framework Agreement to guide future development of the highway cover. The process of designing the highway cover uses will continue to seek input from the Black and historic Albina community through guidance from the project’s Historic Albina Advisory Board. 

In partnership with the City of Portland, the Historic Albina Advisory Board and other key community partners, the project team made design refinements addressing public comments received during the Supplemental Environmental Assessment (EA) public comment period from November 15, 2022, to January 4, 2023. ODOT will release a Revised Supplemental EA, including the refinements, for review by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). A decision from FHWA is expected in 2024.

Design Activities

2023

The Historic Albina Advisory Board is helping guide the highway cover design process and project priorities. 

2022

  • The project team conducted two online Design Elements Surveys. The first survey asked for community input on the aesthetic design of highway crash barriers and columns in the project area. The second survey gathered similar feedback on two highly visible walls and six bridge locations in the project area.
  • ODOT and the Federal Highway Administration published the Supplemental Environmental Assessment document, which looked at how the project’s design changes resulting from the Independent Cover Assessment would benefit and impact the social, economic and physical environment. Read the Environmental Review Process fact sheet for a full history of this process. 

2021

  • The Independent Cover Assessment, which looked at multiple highway cover design options, concluded. The independent consulting team published a report of their findings, prompting ODOT to make design changes and FHWA to withdraw the Finding of No Significant Impact for the project in early 2022.  

2020

  • ODOT and FHWA prepared a Revised Environmental Assessment that responded to public and agency comments on the 2019 Environmental Assessment. FHWA then issued a Finding of No Significant Impact for the project. 
  • The Historic Albina Advisory Board was formed to ensure community perspectives were central to the project’s design.  

2017-2019

  • The project team studied and published an Environmental Assessment for the project, comparing the effects of building a project with the effects of not building a project. 

Construction

Hamilton/Sundt, a Joint Venture (HSJV), in association with Raimore Construction, is the project’s Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC). HSJV’s planned construction work is broken down into three Early Work Packages, or EWPs (EWPs A, B and C) and one Main Construction Package. The construction schedule will be determined by design refinements and the associated environmental analysis, as well as the availability of construction funding. 

Multiple sources of funding are anticipated for project construction, including: 

  • grant funding 
  • Oregon House Bill 2017
  • net revenues from the Oregon Toll Program, including the Regional Mobility Pricing Project
  • other federal, state, regional and local sources

Pre-Construction Activities

2022

  • The project team, including the project’s Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC), published the Diversity and Subcontracting Plan.  
  • ODOT selected three Mini CM/GCs (all Disadvantaged Business Enterprises) to complete work on EWPs A and B.
  • Crews completed fieldwork such as surveying and material sampling to understand current site conditions in the Rose Quarter area.