Drivers heading south on Interstate 5 through Salem will lose access to the Delaney Road SE off-ramp for a full weekend starting July 12.

The Oregon Department of Transportation announced on July 6 that the southbound Exit 248 off-ramp will close at 6 a.m. on July 12, and reopen by 6 a.m. on July 14. The closure was rescheduled from an earlier planned window of July 8–10; ODOT did not state a reason for the change.

Drivers who normally use Exit 248 should take Exit 252 to Kuebler Boulevard instead, according to the ODOT bulletin.

The ramp closure is part of ODOT's $55.5 million I-5 Widening Project, which is adding a third southbound lane between Kuebler Boulevard and Delaney Road in south Salem. Construction began in 2024, and ODOT targets completion in 2027.

ODOT identified the stretch between mileposts 249.5 and 248.9 as a bottleneck where large trucks slow traffic climbing the hill south of Salem. Phase 1 work includes replacing two bridges, building sound walls, rebuilding a ramp, and adding a roundabout.

Even outside the 48-hour ramp closure, ODOT warns drivers in the area to expect a 55 mph speed limit, crews working day and night, lane and shoulder closures, trucks entering and exiting the site, and dust, debris, and noise.

Oregon law doubles fines for all traffic violations in work zones, whether or not workers or signs are present. ODOT spokesperson Mindy McCartt told the Statesman Journal in December 2025 that the south Salem I-5 construction zone has been a hot spot for work-zone crashes in Marion County.

"The behaviors we see in work zones — higher speeds, distraction, impairment, following too closely — are very consistent with what's driving serious crashes across the system," McCartt said.

Drivers can check real-time road conditions, traffic cameras, and detour information at TripCheck.com.