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The Metro Council on Tuesday approved $250 million in Oregon Transportation Commission funding for three pieces of the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project. The 5-1 vote included a no from Councilor Mary Nolan (Councilor Duncan Hwang abstained).

In December, the Oregon Transportation Commission gave its initial approval of the $250 million allocation for the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project 鈥� part of the Urban Mobility Strategy developed by the Oregon Department of Transportation. During its January meeting, the commission received a more detailed summary indicating how the $250 million will be spent.

鈥淥DOT and our partners, we remain committed to building this project in full,鈥� Rose Quarter Project Director Megan Channell said during a Metro Council meeting last week.

Currently, the total project cost estimate is $1.5 billion to $1.9 billion. With the Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program (MTIP) formal/full amendment, passed by the council on Tuesday, $863 million has been secured for the project.

鈥淭hat includes the decades of work to date from planning, environmental, and design, and then being able to implement that to start construction this summer and build the first part of the highway cover,鈥� Channell said.

Of the $250 million for the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project, $12.5 million will go to preliminary engineering, right-of-way, utility relocation and other phases; $177.5 million will go to construction of I-5 Rose Quarter Broadway to Weidler Phase 1; and $60 million will go to construction of I-5 Rose Quarter Phase 1A and project updates.

Overall, proposed I-5 improvements in Portland include multimodal elements such as ramp-to-ramp lanes, highway shoulders and a cover, a new overcrossing, I-5 southbound ramp relocation, a new bicyclist and pedestrian crossing, and better bicyclist and pedestrian facilities.

The Broadway to Weidler Phase 1 project calls for replacing three of the five aging bridges over I-5 by constructing the central portion of the highway cover from Broadway to the southern end and beyond Weidler Street and supporting facilities. With the completion of Phase 1, about 30 percent of the highway cover will be built, Channell said. The work is scheduled to start in January 2027.

In Phase 1A, stormwater facilities will be constructed for the east end of Fremont Bridge and ramps. It will also include construction of the structural deck overlay, bridge rail upgrades and seismic retrofits for two bridges in the southern portion of the project area. Construction of this project will begin in July.