Starting Wednesday, June 5, 2024, commuters can expect some traffic delays in Portland as Fleet Week begins and several bridge lifts will be needed to make way for ships cruise into town on the Willamette River for the Rose Festival.
Brooke Herbert / OPB
Large ships will arrive in Portland Wednesday afternoon for the annual Fleet Week — and that means traffic disruptions for people crossing between downtown and the city’s eastside.
Ships from the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy will be arriving between 2 and 6 p.m., prompting extra lifts from the Steel, Broadway and Burnside bridges. TriMet says all Max lines and the Portland streetcar, plus some bus rides, will be disrupted across the Steel Bridge.
Drivers, cyclists and pedestrians should also expect major delays across multiple bridges. The ships will dock at Tom McCall Waterfront Park as part of the Portland Rose Festival. They’ll be open for daytime public tours starting from Thursday through this weekend.