The roadside work got under way this week and will continue through June 23. Crews started on the freeway approaching the pass and will progress uphill, Oregon Department of Transportation District Manager John Vial said.

Because the work is beside the road, lane closures and traffic restrictions will be rare, Vial said.

Motorists should expect minor delays during the repair work. Signs will announce intermittent lane closures.

Officials advise drivers to use caution in the work zone and be aware that slow-moving trucks that usually drive on the shoulder will be in the regular travel lanes.

Shoulders and drainage systems sustained more than $2.7 million worth of damage when heavy rains on Dec. 30, sent what ODOT officials described as "a milkshake of water, mud, rocks and trees" pouring across the freeway. The southbound lanes over the Siskiyou Pass were closed for 16 hours.

Officials estimate more than 30,000 cubic yards of material came down on I-5 during the storms. ODOT crews have worked steadily to rebuild severely damaged roadways and have already completed about $300,000 worth of work.

State highways throughout Southern Oregon sustained more than $4 million in damage in the late December storm, Vial said.