PORTLAND, Oregon — All southbound lanes of Interstate in Portland reopened after the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) completed emergency repairs at 11:45 p.m. on Thursday.
ODOT closed I-5 at the Fremont Bridge at 4:45 p.m. on Thursday due to an emergency repair of a bridge joint that failed. Traffic was diverted onto southbound Interstate 405 on the Fremont Bridge.
"These bridge joints hold together sections of the freeway," said Don Hamilton with ODOT. "This is a bridge joint that holds sections of I-5 together over Greeley Avenue."
The joint failure is a "regular wear and tear issue with no expected structural damage," ODOT said. If it's not fixed immediately, it becomes unsafe for people to drive over, as bridge joint problems can cause concrete to crack and create a large pothole and safety hazard.
Bridge joints hold together sections of highways when they're elevated, such as when crossing over creeks, culverts, roads and other underpasses, Hamilton explained. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of them throughout the Portland area.
ODOT became aware of the failed bridge joint Thursday afternoon around 3 p.m. when they heard from drivers who were having a difficult time driving over bumps on the road.
The story will be updated once we learn more details.
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