A major I-5 improvement project in South Salem is wrapping up significantly ahead of its original schedule and about $1 million under its construction budget. Careful planning, coordination and strategic construction scheduling helped ODOT deliver the project more efficiently.

Construction on the I-5 Widening Project: Kuebler Boulevard to Delaney Road began in 2024 and was originally expected to continue into 2027. Major construction is now wrapping up in 2026.

No single change was responsible for shortening the construction schedule or reducing costs. Instead, the project team looked for opportunities throughout construction to work more efficiently, identify potential issues early and adjust how work was scheduled.

The contractor carefully planned the order of work so crews could move efficiently from one activity to the next. ODOT, K&E Excavating, David Evans and Associates, subcontractors and the construction engineering and inspection team also worked together to quickly address unexpected issues.

Some of those decisions resulted in significant savings.

For example, the contractor scheduled some of the riskiest dirt work during the driest part of the summer. Drier conditions meant crews needed to do less work to stabilize the ground beneath the new pavement, saving more than $500,000.

Another $160,000 was saved on temporary concrete barrier through staging and traffic control decisions developed by K&E and supported by DEA and ODOT.

The team also used short-duration full closures of I-5 to complete some major construction activities more efficiently. The closures gave crews uninterrupted access to safely complete work in a few nights rather than spreading it over weeks of nighttime lane closures.

During the summer, crews frequently worked during the day and at night. Work with the greatest traffic impacts was done overnight when possible, while crews used daytime hours for activities with little or no impact to travelers.

Together, those efforts helped the project come in about $1 million under its construction budget and significantly ahead of its original schedule.

“Every project is different, but when one goes this well, we owe it to ourselves to understand why. The lessons will help us deliver future ODOT projects more effectively,” said Chris Warner, ODOT Interim Director.

More than an additional lane

The project widens southbound I-5 to three lanes between Kuebler Boulevard and Delaney Road, helping address a bottleneck and improve traffic flow through south Salem.

The work went beyond widening the interstate. Crews also:

Replaced and realigned the Battle Creek Road Bridge over I-5.
Replaced the I-5 bridge over the Commercial Street northbound off-ramp.
Rebuilt the southbound Delaney Road off-ramp.
Built a new roundabout at Battle Creek Road and Wiltsey Street.
Paved portions of northbound and southbound I-5.
Built two new sound walls.

Marion County contributed $557,000 to add the Battle Creek Road and Wiltsey Street roundabout to the project, allowing the state and county improvements to be completed together.

This is the first phase of a larger plan to eventually provide three lanes in both directions on I-5 between Kuebler Boulevard and Delaney Road. There is currently no funding available for the northbound widening.

“In the world of major infrastructure projects, it’s rare to deliver a project both ahead of schedule and under budget, and that’s something we should all be proud of,” said Anna Henson, ODOT Area 3 Manager. “An outcome like this happens because of teamwork and dedication. It started with David Evans and Associates and our ODOT project team, who set the bar, and we owe a debt of gratitude to our prime contractor, K&E Excavating.”

Celebrating the people behind the project

ODOT and its project partners marked the milestone Friday, Sept. 25, with a dedication in Salem recognizing the crews, engineers, inspectors, contractors, subcontractors and partners whose coordination helped deliver the project ahead of schedule and under budget.

Speakers included ODOT Region 2 Manager Savannah Crawford, ODOT Interim Director Chris Warner, K&E Excavating's Brandon Young, David Evans and Associates' Shon Hearn and ODOT Area 3 Manager Anna Henson.

Thank you to travelers

Keeping I-5 moving during construction required patience from everyone.

Travelers experienced traffic shifts, reduced speeds, lane and ramp closures, detours and several full nighttime closures of I-5. Those impacts allowed crews to complete major work more efficiently and helped shorten the overall construction schedule.

ODOT thanks travelers, nearby residents, businesses and community partners for their patience and cooperation.

Some finishing work will continue, including erosion control, landscaping, guardrail work, barrier painting, fencing, illumination and installing signs. Crews will also clean up and remove equipment from the construction site.

Source: ODOT