Portland City Council approves transit pass pilot program for 9,000 city employees to mitigate Interstate 5 closure impacts
The Portland City Council approved an ordinance authorizing a one-year pilot program to provide fully subsidized public transit passes to 9,000 city employees. The program, which runs from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2027, will cover TriMet buses, MAX and WES trains, and C-Tran local service. This initiative is intended to help city employees shift their commutes to public transportation during the five-week repaving and upgrade project that will close all southbound lanes of Interstate 5 through the Rose Quarter starting September 11. The city currently offers a 50% discount on transit passes through the Trip Reduction Incentive Program, which currently serves approximately 500 employees. Under the new pilot program, the city will pay TriMet a flat fee of $495,000 to expand eligibility to all 9,000 employees. Transportation officials warned drivers to plan ahead and avoid using narrow neighborhood streets to bypass the traffic. Hannah Schafer, a spokesperson for the Portland Bureau of Transportation, stated the bureau plans to install speed readers and use "local access only" signs to manage traffic flow near schools.
Sources
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PBOT urges drivers to avoid neighborhood cut-throughs during I-5 Rose Quarter closure
KATU
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As I-5 Closure Looms, Portland Will Consider Paying TriMet Fare for City Employees
Willamette Week