Belt Line's northbound access to I-5 restored.

Byline: Jack Moran The Register-Guard

Workers have won a race against time, and highway officials are ready to restore almost-normal traffic circulation patterns at the Interstate 5 interchange with Belt Line Road.

Oregon Department of Transportation officials say a temporary ramp allowing northbound access to I-5 from Belt Line should be open by 10 a.m. today. The ramp, which was expected to take 13 days to complete, was finished in eight days.

The ramp's opening will spell relief for many people planning to hit post-Thanksgiving sales this weekend in Springfield's Gateway area. ODOT officials had hoped all along that the temporary ramp would be open in time for what is typically the busiest shopping day of the year.

Motorists traveling along Belt Line should use added caution while road work continues. A traffic signal has been installed to allow eastbound and westbound vehicles to flow safely onto the freeway.

The temporary ramp will funnel traffic from Belt Line across the existing lanes of northbound I-5, and onto an adjacent diversion route that leads to a freeway merge lane.

Ramps to I-5 north were closed Nov. 14 so crews could demolish and begin replacing a cracked freeway bridge over Game Farm Road. The project had been delayed nearly a week because of heavy rains.