PETER WONG
Statesman Journal

On Wednesday, just in time for Thanksgiving traffic, the last three-mile bottleneck on Interstate 5 between Portland and Salem will be removed.

I-5 will go from two to three lanes in each direction between the Highway 22 and Kuebler Boulevard interchanges.

The widening will result in a six-lane I-5 north to Portland.

"I'm watching all the trucks go by," Gov. Ted Kulongoski said at a ceremony Monday at the soon-to-be-open southbound lanes. "I think it's the best statement of all about why we are here."

Seven bridges were replaced and another was repaired in the $68.1 million project, which drew equally from federal and state grants.

The state money came from a 10-year, $2.5 billion bond issue approved by the Legislature and signed by Kulongoski in 2003 to repair or replace cracked bridges and crumbling highways. The bond is repaid through higher taxes on trucks and increased fees for drivers and vehicles.

The federal money came from several sources, including $2 million earmarked by Oregon's congressional delegation in a 2005 bill.

"As Salem has prospered, South Salem has become a regional bottleneck," said U.S. Rep. Darlene Hooley, D-Ore., in remarks delivered by an aide. "Improving this interchange in this area will protect the safety of our citizens and help with economic development."

Ground for the project was broken early in 2006.

The project was completed by Hamilton Construction Co. of Springfield, which hired 24 subcontractors and at least 10 suppliers for the Salem area's largest project under the 2003 law.

The work took place while daytime traffic continued to move on two lanes in each direction.

"Complex projects like this just don't happen," said Matt Garrett, the director of the Oregon Department of Transportation. "They're made to happen by dedicated people."

Some cleanup work remains, and final paving, striping and landscaping will be done in the spring. Tim Potter, ODOT's Mid-Willamette Valley area manager, said future projects envision widening I-5 south to the north Jefferson interchange.

Despite three bond issues for highways and bridges, and $200 million in lottery proceeds for other projects, Kulongoski and lawmakers of both parties are talking about new money in 2009 for a long list of transportation improvements.

"The current level of transportation funding here in Oregon is simply not adequate to meet the state's needs, maintain our quality of life and fuel our economy," Kulongoski said.