ODOT is punishing Portland for encouraging developments that adversely impact road transit, like SoWa.

At this point, I'll take any freeway improvements we can get. This one has been needed for quite some time.

As someone that regularly uses the 205 to get to points further south (family in Salem area, season ticket holder for OSU Football), this interchange regularly causes massive jams in all southbound traffic.

The right of way for the aux lane they are adding here is likely easy to get in this location, unlike on the Eastbank Freeway. Expanding I-5 through the Rose Quarter would be in the multi-hundred-million dollar range due to having to rebuild half the east side infrastructure (surface streets, overpasses, building removal, etc.) in order to get the space.

James, as you know ODOT does have an axe to grind with PDOT. Through the years of meetings before the initial implementation of SoWhat, the ODOT officials tried to point out the complexity and probable costs (and no money for the proposed partial solutions) of trying to serve the future developments. They even questioned the density proposed, causing too much traffic, as well as the unreality of expecting 40% transit usage for all trips generated from SoWhat. ODOT was ignored, in fact they stopped going to the meetings.

There has been other disregards and disrespect by CoP on other citywide highway issues where ODOT has jurisdiction. It as though PDOT and CoP are running ODOT. It has somewhat shown its face in regards to the Columbia Crossing issue. Cooperation seems in order because all of the state highways don't end in Portland.