On Saturday morning, Jeremy Tellock and Nicole Harvey were bound for the Oregon Convention Center, where hundreds of people were gathering for Rose City Comic Con.
They work in media production for large events like Comic Con. But that wasn’t easy to guess from the small gear bag Tellock was carrying, as they sat on a crowded MAX train full of costumed, convention-bound Portlanders.
Harvey said the convention center is one of the main places where they work live events, and they usually haul a large gear kit in their car.
“Having the I-5 shut down is pretty disruptive to our work,” Tellock said. “So we’re taking the MAX today and actually using a reduced filming kit from what we would normally take to a show just because of the transportation issue.”
Harvey and Tellock were among many who experienced a taste of the traffic jams expected to prolong commutes well into October.
Saturday marked the first full day of the five-week closure of all southbound lanes of I-5 between I-405 and I-84. Construction began in full late Friday night.
The 2-mile stretch of road is closed for construction crews to make overdue repairs, including replacing nearly 40-year-old concrete and retrofitting the bridge to withstand an earthquake.
Monday will be the first workday during construction, challenging commuters as they adjust travel times, find alternate routes and consider other forms of transportation, like walking, cycling or using public transit.
Around 11:30 a.m. on a pedestrian footbridge overlooking I-84 near the Lloyd Center, westbound traffic into the city appeared sluggish.
Irvington neighborhood residents Kevan and Dave Stodd were walking fast across the bridge with their two dogs.
“We have to go to the west side of town for a wedding later, so we’re trying to figure out the <a href="https://comicvibe.com/10-best-tv-shows-about-pirates-ranked/” title=”10 Best TV Shows About Pirates, Ranked”>best way to go at this point,” Kevan said, pointing out toward the slow-moving vehicles.
“Stay off the freeway,” Dave said.
“Yeah, stay off the freeway,” Kevan agreed. “We’re not going on freeways at all.”
Residential and street traffic clustered around the convention center, where hundreds were gathering for Comic Con.
Motorist Mayci Emmons-Kelly was stopped in her car on Northeast Holladay Street, where dozens of vehicles bottlenecked at the I-84 exit.
“We got pretty close to the exit and everyone was stopped — it was just stopped,” said Mayci Emmons-Kelly. She said the traffic won’t terribly impact her work commute, but that going to see her family in the city would be more difficult.
The traffic is likely to be worse during the workweek. At a press conference Saturday morning, ODOT spokesperson Rose Gerber said the agency’s encouraged to see that things — so far — are looking “smooth out there,” ODOT spokesperson Rose Gerber said.
“We might not be seeing the full impacts of this closure for a few days,” ODOT Gerber added.
Construction crews began removing the old concrete Saturday morning.
“We have 3 micromilling machines working to grind off the top 2 inches of the concrete,” Gerber said. “We have an extra machine and mechanics on standby in case of equipment breakdown. And this work can be done in the rain, so weather is not supposed to be an issue.”
However, rain could still affect other construction activities down the line, potentially prolonging the closures.
Gerber said the agency continues to encourage drivers to plan ahead, check navigation apps and give themselves plenty of time to get to their destinations.
For Beaverton resident Sharon Rose — who chose the MAX this year over her car to get to Comic Con — she’s just glad she doesn’t have to come into the city often.
“I have to say, I’m very glad that I live and work in Beaverton,” Rose said. “I guess I’m gonna think twice before I leave Beaverton until this ends.”
