Part of the busy Interstate 5 Bridge from Portland to Vancouver, Washington, will be closed for several hours this weekend.
The northbound lanes will be shut down to drivers, as crews put the finishing touches on replacing signal lights on the bridge that were damaged by a dump truck last year. All of the lights and electrical wiring needed to be replaced.
The Interstate 5 bridge, as seen from Vancouver, Wash., on June 29, 2024.
Anna Lueck / OPB
Crews will start the repairs at 11 p.m. on Saturday, and the northbound lanes are expected to reopen by 7 a.m. Sunday.
The Oregon Department of Transportation chose the late hours to minimize the impact on drivers traveling to Washington, ODOT spokesperson Kacey Davey said.
“We know closing an important bridge like this can have a big impact on folks, but we have to close it so that our crews can safely do these repairs to make the bridge operational for everyone,” Davey said.
Davey said anyone needing to drive to Washington during the closure should use I-205.
About 150,000 vehicles drive over the bridge every day. A massive project to replace the aging bridge has been underway for years.