Celebrating One Year of I-205 Improvements Construction

The busy I-205 Improvements Project construction site at the Abernethy Bridge

July marks one year since The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) began construction on the I-205 Improvements Project; a great deal has happened over the past year, so let’s look back…

The project broke ground on July 22, 2022 and is primarily focused on the Abernethy Bridge and its adjacent on- and off-ramps. The I-205 project is the largest ODOT highway project in 45 years.

Oregonians watching this project unfold during the past year have witnessed several changes. Initially, crews were busy preparing the construction site to support the necessary machines and materials. A year later, we are watching new, earthquake resistant support columns emerge from the Willamette River, increasing in height monthly. One way to keep track of the project’s continued progress is via the project’s construction cameras.  

In June, the contractor started working on the new roundabout connecting OR 43 and I-205 northbound. This project component is complicated by a large amount of rock requiring excavation and removal, which requires extended, full closures of the various ramps in the area.

The new roundabout will open later this fall, and we will provide details regarding future closures and traffic impacts as plans are finalized. 

One of the most exciting milestones occurred roughly six months after the groundbreaking when crews began using Oscar the Oscillator. Oscar, the strongest operating oscillator in North America, bore deep into the ground—over 200 feet to install strong shafts into hard, earthquake-resistant bedrock. The columns emerging from the water now are due to the skilled work of the project’s employees and the machines they operate, such as Oscar.

Speaking of skills, the I-205 Improvements Project is rooted in cultivating a talented workforce that reflects the region’s diversity. Information about the project’s success in meeting its workforce and contacting goals is on the DBE dashboard, and here are some highlights: 

• Through March 2023, there have been approximately $11.8M in payments to DBE contractors. 

• The workforce hours earned by employees from priority zip codes are 14% of the project’s total hours, which is above the goal.  

• Workforce hours earned by minority employees are 23%, which is also above the goal. 

• Tribal member workforce hours stand at 6%, exceeding the project’s goal.

There is still much important work to be done during this year and next, and then in early 2025, crews will slide the bridge decks outward eight feet in each direction onto new support columns. We know there have been disruptions, and more are coming between now and 2025. Everyone’s patience is greatly appreciated, and please sign up for project-related text messages and email alerts to stay informed of construction impacts or visit TripCheck.

When the project is completed in 2025, the Abernethy Bridge will be the first earthquake ready interstate structure across the Willamette River in the Portland area, which will help I-205 serve as a lifeline route. Additional improvements will improve the safety of on- and off-ramps, along with easing the way for people who walk, bike and roll.

We hope you have enjoyed looking back at the past year’s accomplishments, and a huge “thank you!” to the skilled and dedicated employees who have made this progress possible.  

Please follow ODOT’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates on the I-205 Improvements Project.