About the Project

Aerial image of Exit 278 from southbound I-5

I-5 Exit 278, the Aurora-Donald interchange, is a busy area with traffic traveling to and from northern Marion County, including Aurora and Donald, and visiting nearby travel centers.

With how the area works now, traffic frequently backs up and causes delays on I-5.

We built Phase 1A improvements in 2022 to help address some of these issues.

We have started construction on Phase 2 to build the full diverging diamond interchange. Construction will take about four years.

What are we doing?

Check out a before and after drawing of the area by clicking and dragging the arrows on the image below.

Please note, this is a rendering. The final layout may look different and the size and location may change.

Check out a larger version of the interchange after Phase 2 construction.

The existing Ehlen Road NE will have significant changes. The road will shift and connect to the new Bents Road NE intersection.

During Phase 1A, we realigned Bents Road NE. During Phase 2, the diverging diamond lanes connect at a new intersection on Bents Road NE. This new intersection will have a traffic light.

Ehlen Road NE under the I-5 bridge will become the new diverging diamond lanes. The diverging diamond will have two lanes of traffic in both directions and new accesses to the I-5 on and off-ramps.

We'll replace the two I-5 bridges with one new bridge. The new I-5 bridge will be taller than the existing bridges. The bridge will have three lanes in each direction with a concrete median between the northbound and southbound lanes.

We're moving the entrance to Dolores Way NE to make room for the diverging diamond lanes. The existing connection to Ehlen Road NE may become a cul-de-sac. The intersection will move east, and we'll construct a new connection to the existing Dolores Way NE. The new Dolores Way NE and Ehlen Road NE intersection will also connect to a gravel road for access to properties to the north.

We're lengthening and widening the southbound off-ramp, the southbound on-ramp and the northbound on-ramp.

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About the Project

Changes to Ehlen Road NE

Changes to Bents Road NE

Diverging Diamond Lanes

New I-5 Bridge

Changes to Dolores Way NE

I-5 On and Off-Ramps