PORTLAND, Ore. — About 50 vehicles blocked inbound lanes on Airport Way, west of Northeast 82nd Avenue, for close to an hour Monday afternoon, cutting off the entrance to Portland International Airport (PDX), the Port of Portland reported.
The caravan of vehicles that blocked the road was part of a protest against the conflict in Gaza, according to the Port of Portland.
Port of Portland Police officers responded to the scene, "working to reroute shuttle buses and traffic to minimize the impact."
Some travelers said they were afraid of missing their flight due to the protest.
"It took us 30-35 minutes to go not even 2 miles," said traveler Alan Boyd. "I'm actually seriously worried about missing my flight."
He was frustrated over the timing of the protest.
"There's a time and place for everything and during holidays, disrupting families getting home is not the time to do it," he said.
An off-duty KGW producer who was stuck in the traffic jam at the airport caused by the protesters, said traffic was stopped for at least 45 minutes.
"People have been walking to get to their flights from the streets with their luggage in hand," she said. "Buses that transport people are stuck on the road, completely empty with the doors open, and everybody walked to the airport."
An Uber driver told KGW that many people stuck in the traffic jam tried to divert to a frontage road to get to the terminal but that road was jammed with traffic, too.
The protest started at around 3:25 p.m. and as of about 4:15 p.m., the Port of Portland said the situation was "actively unfolding." A KGW photographer at the airport said police had cleared the road by around 4:35 p.m. and KGW received reports that the protest group had moved elsewhere. Shortly before 5 p.m., the Port of Portland confirmed that Airport Way was clear, though traffic remained congested.
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