Readers respond: I-5 closure cheaper for whom?

The Oregon Department of Transportation says closing a portion of southbound I-5 through Portland for five continuous weeks is the most efficient way to complete necessary repairs ('Southbound I-5 through Portland's Rose Quarter to close for up to 5 weeks; Officials warn of severe delays,' Aug. 24). I appreciate the importance of worker safety and understand that major infrastructure work causes disruption. But when ODOT calls this the cheaper option, I have one question: Cheaper for whom? A project doesn't become cheaper simply because its costs move off ODOT's balance sheet. Businesses will lose customers. Workers will spend additional hours commuting. Freight and deliveries will be delayed. Residents will burn more fuel sitting in traffic. Even my own small decision to stop attending a Portland dance studio during the closure represents money that won't reach a local business. I lived in Minneapolis when the I-35W bridge collapsed. I watched the Minnesota Department of Transportation respond to an enormous transportation crisis with urgency, creativity and incentives for rapid completion. The replacement bridge opened just over 13 months after the collapse. Oregon can demand that same level of public stewardship without compromising worker safety. MORE BY LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Readers respond: A disturbing pairing of storiesSep. 4, 2026, 7:00 a.m. Readers respond: Portlanders need stronger protections in Zenith franchise transferSep. 4, 2026, 6:00 a.m. I encourage businesses, commuters, freight operators and other residents affected by this closure to contact their state legislators and the governor. Ask them to require ODOT to account for the total economic impact of major closures—not merely what is cheapest for ODOT itself. Our time and our businesses have value, too. Kat Innes, Beaverton