i-5 Portland Interstate 5 Portland News Blog

i-5 Portland News Blog - Feb 08 ...

> Portland police to patrol gang-related hot-spots ... Feb 29/08
To try to quell a recent increase in gang-related violence, additional officers will be assisting the Gang Enforcement Team tonight and tomorrow night, patrolling some of the hotspots in Northeast Portland and Southeast Portland, Lt. Mike Leloff said Friday. The extra patrols will concentrate around Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard west to Interstate 5, from Northeast Fremont Street north to Lombard Street, the area of Northeast Killingsworth and Cully Boulevard and North St. Louis and McCoy Park, Leloff said.... cont...

> The Eagle Highway ... Feb 23/08
Willis said you need to think of our region from the bird’s point of view; that is, up in the sky on a so-called “eagle highway.” Eagles use the highway the way you might use the interstate highway – with rest stops along the way. Eagles soar their highway in the sky on the lookout for food, water and shelter. The more of each at a given location, the more bald eagles will be drawn to it.... cont...

> Fire blamed on vandalism knocks out traffic cameras on I-5 bridge ... Feb 21/08
A fire blamed on vandalism has knocked out traffic-monitoring cameras on the Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River. Firefighters were sent to the southbound lanes of the span about 10 p.m. Wednesday. Dave Thompson, an Oregon Transportation Department spokesman, says someone apparently set a fire that burned about six feet of electrical conduit. Thompson says the conduit is not easily accessible to pedestrians, and it's unclear how whoever set the fire got to it..... cont...

> Foes look to put brakes on light rail at meeting ... Feb 21/08
Would a proposed Vancouver light-rail project relieve traffic congestion, provide a cost-effective alternative to drivers traveling to Portland and decrease pollution?. Or would it burden businesses and neighbors in its path and become more costly than it is worth?. Several hundred people packed a room Wednesday night at the Water Resources Education Center to address those questions about the $4 billion-plus Columbia River Crossing project. Plans call for replacing the Interstate 5 Bridge, bringing highway improvements and extending Portland’s light-rail line into Vancouver.... cont...

> Road tales from a bike commuter ... Feb 17/08
Tom Simon knows it made little sense to choose November to start commuting to work by bicycle. It can be cold, foggy, rainy, snowy and icy. It's dark both going and coming. But three or four days a week since November, Simon, 44, pulls on Lycra and neoprene and rides from his Felida home to work in Portland. It's a trip of 17 miles each way to his office on Northeast Sandy Boulevard. But there are bike lanes most of the way and other bicyclists to commune with. "It's a relatively bike-friendly commute," he said. "The best part is the commuting community. You feel safe." Simon, an engineer, is among a small but growing number of Vancouver commuters who brave the Interstate 5 Bridge from the bike lanes. Their numbers are expected to increase with higher gas prices, more highway delays and expanded bike capacity planned for the new I-5 bridge.... cont...

> Crashes close at least two southbound lanes on I-5 in Portland ... Feb 16/08
Multiple crashes on southbound Interstate 5 near Northeast Weidler Street have closed at least two lanes, possibly requiring closure of the freeway, police said. Traffic is backed up to North Going Street. Up to eight cars are involved in the wrecks, some of which caused injuries. Further details were not immediately available. Motorists are advised to use Interstate 405..... cont...

> Gas Tank Getaway: Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge ... Feb 15/08
They come by the thousands to the crew-cut stubble fields, cornrows and placid backwater ponds backlit by dazzling spring sunshine. Tucked into the comfort of a viewing blind, I relish a moment that’s filled with the sound of flurry in flight. The sight of score upon score of Canada geese, packed in tight-knit waves, swooshing by just overhead on their fixed wings, takes my breath away. The big birds are jockeying for the best position on which to land on the widespread dining table of green grass and they seem to bellow and blare this news.... cont...

> We must get real on transportation ... Feb 14/08
Costs are going up, the transportation infrastructure is overloaded, and anyone shipping agricultural goods is vulnerable if something isn't done soon. That's what Daniel Block warned at the Agri-Business Council of Oregon annual meeting last week. You don't have to be a farmer to notice Oregon's bottlenecks. Anyone driving into Portland on U.S. Highway 26 or Interstate 5 sees it. This is a product of a state that has lagged in its investment in transportation. Speaking to the same group as Block, Katy Coba said that during the last 20 years there has been "huge disinvestments" in transportation, and "it's starting to catch up with us.... cont...

> Driver Leads Police On High-Speed Chase ... Feb 14/08
A driver led police on a high-speed chase down Interstate 5 early Thursday morning. Police said they noticed a suspicious car on I-5 Southbound just before the Interstate 405 split at 2:45 a.m. When they checked the car’s license plates, they found out it was stolen. Police tried to pull over the Honda Accord, but it took off and a chase ensued. Spike strips were placed at various locations. Police said one of the car’s tires hit one of the strips, but the driver was able to continue on.... cont...