Last month, before all southbound lanes of Interstate 5 near the Rose Quarter closed for construction and repairs, transportation officials’ traffic predictions were abysmal. Commutes through the area were expected to double, or even triple, if driver behavior stayed the same.
But drivers’ habits have appeared to change — at least a little.
Now, about halfway into the five-week closure, Portland’s worst traffic predictions haven’t fully materialized, as crews work 24 hours a day to replace old concrete and make the 2-mile stretch of road more earthquake-ready.
Oregon Department of Transportation spokesperson Rose Gerber said traffic times are roughly two times longer than normal. However, the worst congestion has largely been confined to neighborhood streets — not highways — near the Rose Quarter, clustering on Greeley Avenue, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Going Street and Interstate Avenue…