PORTLAND, Ore. — After years of complaints over congestion from neighbors in Lair Hill, the City of Portland has implemented traffic changes on the eastbound approaches to the Ross Island Bridge.

The congestion is caused when drivers try to shave off a few extra minutes by going through residential neighborhoods.  Many of the local streets see two to three times the traffic during rush hour, some 1,500 cars daily, and that’s putting a squeeze on the commute.

To ease the congestion, the Portland Bureau of Transportation has blocked access at the following points:

  • Northbound from SW Kelly Avenue between Whitaker and Curry
  • Eastbound from SW Whitaker Street between Kelly and Corbett
  • Intersection of SW Gibbs and Naito Parkway

Instead, officials want drivers to use one of three preferred routes.

A pilot program is running through September 1st, 2020.

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