All northbound lanes of the Interstate Bridge are now open as construction crews finished a lengthy project two days earlier than expected.
The three northbound lanes on Interstate 5 over the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington were closed for a week for a long-planned $13 million project to replace a key component on the aging drawbridge.
Northbound traffic had been routed onto the southbound span for the closure, a delicate balancing act that including shifting travel patterns to allow for two lanes on that span during evening commuters this past week.
At 5:55 a.m. on Saturday, Oregon Department of Transportation officials announced the project finished early. The news came hours before a far-right group rallied at Delta Park in North Portland near the bridge. The closure was expected to last through Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
Now, crews have the innermost lane of southbound I-5 traffic closed for one week as they work to remove equipment on site.
Despite the lengthy disruption, state officials said this week that the projected traffic calamity associated with closing so many lanes on the bridge between Portland and Vancouver never materialized.
-- Andrew Theen; atheen@oregonian.com; 503-294-4026; @andrewtheen