The southbound Interstate 5 off-ramp at Exit 162 (Drain) will be closed up to 33 days starting Monday, June 16, due to road construction. This ramp, which connects I-5 with Oregon 38 (Umpqua Highway), is primarily used by southbound I-5 motorists heading to Drain, Elkton and the southern Oregon coast. Approximately 2,500 vehicles use this ramp each day. For the first four weeks of the ramp closure, southbound I-5 motorists will be able to take the Exit 163 (Curtin) off-ramp and detour 1½ miles along Bear Creek Road and Curtin Road to Oregon 38. Motorists should watch for detour signs and roadside message boards. Approximately 25 families live along this section of Bear Creek Road and Curtin Road. Motorists are advised to slow down, drive with caution and watch for children at play in this residential neighborhood. The speed limit has been temporarily reduced to 35 mph along the posted detour route. Local law enforcement will patrol the area. For up to five days in July, the southbound Exit 163 (Curtin) off-ramp will also be closed. During this time, southbound I-5 motorists who want to reach Oregon 38 should use alternate routes. Local motorists may choose to continue south on I-5 to Exit 160 (Salt Spring Road) or Exit 159 (Elk Creek/Cox Road), turn around and use the Exit 162 (Drain) northbound off-ramp. To avoid congestion while the ramps are closed, motorists from outside the area should consider alternate routes to the Oregon coast, such as Oregon 126 (Florence to Eugene Highway). The southbound on-ramp at Exit 163 (Curtin) will be closed from June 16 until the end of July. Local motorists planning to drive south on I-5 should use the southbound on-ramp at Exit 162 (Drain), which will remain open throughout construction. The ramp closures will allow workers to repair the concrete in the southbound I-5 slow lane. The repairs are part of the $18.5 million I-5: Martin Creek to Anlauf Paving project, which will repair or replace the concrete road surface in several areas of I-5 between Cottage Grove and Drain. All northbound ramps throughout the project area will remain open during this construction phase.
