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A study conducted by Oregon and Washington determined that the 1.25-mile segment of Interstate 5 between Victory Boulevard and Lombard Street had to be a priority for improvement. More than 120,000 vehicles pass through the North Portland corridor daily, and the resulting congestion led to the $65 million, multimodal widening project.

Project team + Stats

Location: Portland, Oregon
Cost: $ 65 million
Start Date: March 2008
Completion Date: October 2010
Owner/Developer: Oregon Department of Transportation
Engineer: David Evans and Associates
General Contractor: Hamilton Construction Co.

The project increased I-5 to three lanes in each direction with minimal impact to the traveling public. Construction involved widening two existing bridges, building a new steel bridge, and constructing new entrance and exit ramps, as well as updating substandard medians, acceleration lanes and interchanges to meet current Oregon Department of Transportation standards.

鈥淥n all accounts, this was an exceptional project and the end result an exceptional success,鈥� said Mark Beeson, ODOT project manager.

One of the project鈥檚 major technical challenges involved widening a bridge and tying the retrofit into an existing structure that crossed over an active Union Pacific rail line and Columbia Boulevard.

Heavily urbanized surroundings, soil contamination from an old landfill and concerns about the construction鈥檚 environmental impact on the sensitive Columbia Slough waterway were all challenges that the team encountered and overcame.

In addition, short in-water work windows required Hamilton to simultaneously manage the construction of bridges, ramps, retaining walls and other elements.

鈥淚t took a lot of scheduling effort to have resources, equipment and good people who knew what they were doing at each site,鈥� said Scott Williams, president of Hamilton Construction. Careful traffic scheduling was also critical so that construction work did not impact morning commute hours.

The strong partnership between ODOT, David Evans & Associates, and Hamilton Construction enabled the team to meet the project鈥檚 aggressive three-season schedule. The I-5 project was completed early and under budget, showcased $1.27 million of work by DBE contractors, and utilized sustainable techniques including the reuse of concrete barricades and retaining wall materials.

鈥淲e work in communities on projects that effect those communities,鈥� said Williams. 鈥淎fter we got the bid, we did a lot of work with ODOT as our partner to make sure we gave good opportunities for DBE participation. It鈥檚 important for us to do whatever we can to make sure there鈥檚 local benefit.鈥�