This summer's traffic 'carmageddon': Traveling through Portland

If you plan to travel in the next few weeks to or through Portland, it's going to be more than a little slow going.

Portland-area media haven't used the word "carmageddon" since last year's total eclipse in Oregon. But recent warnings from Oregon's Department of Transportation are reviving it for this summer.

“Travelers are going to experience the worst construction delays they've seen in the past 10 years in Portland,” agency spokeswoman Kimberly Dinwiddie told KGW 8 in Portland.

In addition to an Interstate 5 paving project, drivers will face delays from an I-5-to-Interstate 84 ramp project. Road and ramp closures, which started Sunday, are expected to last several weeks.

The Oregon transportation department has the full rundown, the various closure times and a map at its website. The department also recommends tripcheck.com. You also can add the closure schedule with specifics to your Google calendar.

The department's list at a glance for Portland might have you exploring a coastal route southbound:

▪ I-5, Columbia River to Moda Center, paving six miles and other improvements.

▪ I-5 at I-84, repairing and resurfacing bridges.

▪ I-84 (102nd to 148th, install, replace, repair and upgrade interstate signs.

▪ Interstate 205, Johnson Creek Boulevard to Glenn Jackson Bridge, paving nine miles and other improvements.

▪ I-5, paving, auxiliary lane and sign replacement, adding auxiliary and exit lanes and repaving and modifying on- and off-ramps on I-5, from state Route 99W to Interstate 205, with sign improvements along I-5 between Kruse Way and Southwest Terwilliger Boulevard.

The transportation department recommended locals in the area stay off the roads altogether.

Washington state drivers can use the bypass at I-205 to I-84 in Clark County, but be warned: The first day for Portland commuters was a mess. Gridlock delayed traffic for seven miles, a problem made worse when a bridge contractor had problems with a concrete mixer.

Kimberly Pincheira of Washington State Department of Transportation told The News Tribune that Tuesday morning's commute did go better than Monday's, and "Overall, delays have been better than feared, which could in part be due to motorists making alternate plans as recommended."

However, she noted: "ODOT is warning travelers to be prepared for the possibility of lengthy delays, especially on southbound I-5 leading up to the I-84 interchange during the current ramp closure."

Detour maps are available at https://bit.ly/2KNj6FP

Other roadwork of note for those headed south on I-5:

▪ WSDOT has projects underway to resurface sections of I-5 in Cowlitz County between Kelso and Woodland with some night ramp closures.

▪ Some single-lane daytime closures on I-5 in Lewis County for safety improvements and work to replace the Chamber Way overpass in Lewis County.

Remember, there's always Amtrak.

This story was originally published July 10, 2018 at 2:38 PM.