September 22, 2026 3:05 a.m.  

Drivers should expect traffic delays on Interstate 5 in the Sutherlin and Oakland areas beginning next Monday as workers remove about 80 dead and dying trees near the travel lanes.

Oregon Department of Transportation Public Information Officer Dan Latham said tree-cutting operations are scheduled for Monday September 28th through Friday, October 2nd, from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Latham said rolling slowdowns will be used in both directions of I-5, affecting traffic between milepost 135 and 140. Most of the slowdowns will take place earlier in the week. During a rolling slowdown, pilot cars hold traffic to a slow but steady pace to give crews time to cut down trees.

Flaggers will briefly hold traffic at the I-5 southbound on-ramp at Exit 138 at south Oakland and both the northbound and southbound on-ramps at Exit 135 at south Sutherlin, Wilbur and Exit 136 in Sutherlin.

Most delays will be less than 20 minutes. Message boards will be placed ahead of the work zone in both directions. Drivers should watch for traffic control devices, workers and construction vehicles, and debris in the roadway.

For more information, contact ODOT at 541-817-5200