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Transportation Commission hears update on Rose Quarter construction
workforce progress and partner alignment on 2027 work
Interim Project Director Monica Blanchard, ODOT Project Delivery Manager David Kim, ODOT Deputy Director Travis Brouwer, Albina Vision Trust (AVT) Director of Government Affairs & Communications JT Flowers, Metro Transportation Policy Director Ted Leybold, and Portland Bureau of Transportation Director Millicent Williams present to the Oregon Transportation Commission.
March 13, 2026 - At the Oregon Transportation Commission meeting on March 12, ODOT staff representing the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project briefed commissioners on meetings with the Project Management Group that have produced consensus on near-term construction plans and how the group will work together on project planning moving forward. View the meeting here.
In December 2025, the Oregon Transportation Commission directed future work on the project to prioritize elements that provide statewide benefit and actively engage with partners as that future work is identified. Since then, the project has held a series of meetings with its Project Management Group that includes key project partners like the City of Portland, Albina Vision Trust, Metro, Rip City Management, Oregon Trucking Association and others, to gain alignment on $167.5 million in construction plans for 2027, project planning and technical recommendations.
“For the first time in my history working on this project, we have real true alignment from all of the stakeholders at the table, whether we talk about Metro, the City, Albina Vision Trust, the contractors, the truckers. We’ve been able to work in far deeper collaboration than anything I’ve experienced prior and that makes me feel quite optimistic,” said JT Flowers, Director of Government Affairs & Communications at Albina Vision Trust, of the recent collaboration with partners.
“We feel more confident than ever in the future of this project and our ability as stakeholders to deliver a full project, even if it takes us a bit of time.”
The project team also provided an update regarding progress on workforce participation goals for minority, female, veteran and Native American construction trade workers, highlighting some of the contractors' current work on the project. The Construction Manager/General Contractor has been meeting its workforce and apprenticeship goals, pairing project delivery with workforce development, diverse subcontractor participation, mentorship, and an intentional focus on retention. The project is focused on building a sustainable workforce and subcontractor pipeline that not only supports this project now, but also into future phases and future projects across the state.
Learn more about these contractors' role on the Rose Quarter Project here.
Construction on the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project began in August 2025. The work in progress includes deferred maintenance that improves safety and stormwater systems and allows for critical construction to begin while awaiting future funding opportunities for the entirety of the project.
ODOT will return to the Commission for further project updates at their May meeting.
The I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project will address critical safety and mobility challenges at the state’s top bottleneck, while improving multimodal transportation and supporting long-term community revitalization in the Albina neighborhood and Rose Quarter.
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