NE 57th Avenue Sewer Extension Project

Sewer and Stormwater

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Environmental Services has constructed a sewer project to extend the public sewer system in the Rose Park City neighborhood. This work is part of the City’s effort to provide property owners a way to directly and independently connect to the public sewer system to meet current plumbing code.

Construction began in Spring of 2025 and should take up to four months to complete.

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Project Overview

The NE 57th Avenue Sewer Extension Projectwill build a new maintenance hole and one sewer extension, totaling 340 LF (flood line) of mainline sewer, to serve properties with nonconforming sewer connections. The City requires individual properties to have direct and independent connections to the public sewer system. Lateral properties with ageing party sewers experience higher rates of sewer blockage, pipe fractures, seepage, and water corrosion due to pipe deterioration.

Building a public sewer main extension allows property owners a safer and sanitary way to directly access the public sewer. This project will resolve one property with a nonconforming sewer and convert four properties with inadequate septic systems. Hydraulic modeling and analysis further confirm the addition of the new sewer extension will benefit the community-at-large. Extensions can improve drainage systems, preventing flooding and water damage to nearby greenspaces, public sporting facilities, small businesses, and city streets.

The project will help protect public health, property, and the environment by increasing the capacity of the public sewer system, reducing the risk of basement sewer backups, as well as lessen the likelihood of costly emergency maintenance work in the future.

Project Area 

The project will take place on NE 57th Avenue, between NE Hassalo and Wasco Streets, across from Normandale Park.

The simplified map below is a visual illustration of the work zone and shows details on planned pipe work. Please note this map is not up to scale and does not provide an accurate measurement of the actual distances between places or the exact size of features.

Map of pipe repair work for the NE 57th Ave Sewer Extension Project. Pipe work is located on NE 57th avenue between NE Hassalo and Wasco Streets. — The graphic above is a simplified project map for the NE 57th Avenue Sewer Extension Project.

General Schedule 

Construction began in mid-May 2025. Work is anticipated to be complete before August 2025.

What's Happening Now?

The city contractor will temporarily pause construction due to the Rose Festival Moratorium. Construction work to resume after June 10. Work crews to continue horizontal directional drilling (HDD) and repairing sewer pipes using cured-in-place-pipe lining (CIPP). Once work passes safety inspection, the contractor anticipates permanent paving restoration to start afterwards. The traveling public should stay alert to all workers, equipment, changes to traffic, and should anticipate delays during peak travel periods.

All work is weather-dependent, and the construction schedule below is subject to change due to contractor availability.

June 1 – 10:

No construction work will be conducted by the city contractor during this time. Due to increased activity in the city’s major retail districts during the Rose Festival and fall/winter holiday season, specific areas and streets have restricted use. Portland's Bureau of Transportation implements a moratorium on use of the public right-of way to support the Holiday Season and Rose Festival Moratorium.

Week of June 11:

Daytime work hours are Wednesday through Friday, and possibly Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the following location:

NE 57th Avenue, between NE Hassalo and Wasco Streets — Work crews finish installation of lateral pipes via HDD. Crews continue install of remaining laterals via open cut and install new maintenance hole. Traffic will be routed to one lane on the south side of NE 57^th Avenue.

Week of June 16:

Daytime work hours are Monday through Friday, and possibly Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the following location:

NE 57th Avenue, between NE Hassalo and Wasco Streets — Work crews finish all lateral repairs and possibly start paving. Traffic will be routed to one lane on the south side of NE 57^th Avenue.

What to Expect During Construction

You can expect the following activities and impacts during construction:

Noise, Vibration, and Dust: Construction creates noise, vibration, and dust, and disrupts normal neighborhood activity. 
Equipment Storage: Some equipment and materials may be stored overnight on your street, nearby streets, or other public right-of-way areas.
Parking Restrictions: On-street parking will be restricted in and near the work zones to create a safe work environment and to stage equipment and materials. On days when crews will be working in front of your house or nearby, please plan ahead. If you park your vehicle on the street, plan to move it off the street by 7 a.m. and return it at 6 p.m. 
Traffic Delays: Expect traffic delays in and near the work area. The contractor will develop detailed traffic control plans for each location.
Pedestrian Access: If temporary crosswalk and sidewalk closures are necessary, signage will indicate the alternate way for pedestrians to proceed. 
Local Access: Local access to all properties will be maintained, but construction activities may impact or delay normal use of your driveway. Please allow for extra time for our crews to make the area safe before entering or leaving the construction zone.
Maintained Services: Sewer, water, garbage and recycling pick-up, as well as other utilities are expected to remain in service during construction. 
Schedule Changes and Inactivity: Construction schedules can change due to a variety of factors, including conditions underground, weather, traffic impacts, subcontractor schedules, and availability of materials. These same variables may cause periods of inactivity during construction phases.

Construction Methods

The city contractor will use several construction methods to repair or replace public sewer pipes. Most of the methods will be trenchless, although some of those methods will require digging access pits to install pipes. Trenchless methods avoid having to dig deep and long trenches in Northeast Portland streets to replace whole pipes.

The project is currently designed to use the following sewer construction methods:

Open Trench Excavation:Open trench is the traditional method of sewer construction and the most common method for replacing a sewer pipe, especially if the original pipe needs to be upsized.
Cured-in-Place-Pipe Lining (CIPP): CIPP lining is a trenchless method of sewer construction. It requires little or no digging and significantly less time to complete than other sewer repair methods. It is suitable for repairing both short and long runs of pipes that do not need to be upsized.
Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD): A trenchless method of sewer construction. It is suitable for soft to hard clays, wet soils, and environmentally sensitive areas. This method avoids having to dig large pits to install jacking and boring machines.
Pipe Bursting: Pipe bursting is a trenchless method of sewer construction. It is an alternative to the Open Trench Excavation method that allows for replacing or upsizing an existing pipe without the need for a traditional construction trench.

To learn more about sewer and stormwater repairs and replacements on Environmental Services' projects, please visit Sewer Construction Methods.

Nonconforming Sewers

The Nonconforming Sewer Program contacts individual property owners who will need to connect to the new sewer main or will be directly impacted by the project. Typically, a nonconforming sewer property does not have a separate lateral connection to the City's sewer, or the property's lateral crosses another property's lot.

To learn more about nonconforming sewer connections, please call 503-823-7869 or visit Nonconforming Sewers.

Converting Septic Systems to Sewer Connections

Most developed properties in Portland are connected to the public sewer system, but some properties still use private septic systems. Learn more about when septic systems are allowed and when properties on septic might be required to connect to the City sewer. As a septic system ages, its chance of failing and releasing untreated sewage into the environment increases. Septic system failures can cause a public health hazard and contaminate properties and water resources.

Environmental Services’ goal is to provide all residential, commercial, and industrial customers access to the public sewer. Sometimes Environmental Services extends service to multiple residential properties on septic. This brings reliable sewer service to properties before their septic systems fail. In other cases, a developed property on septic may have a public sewer immediately available within a public right-of-way or easement.

To learn more about septic conversion and sewer connections, please visit Converting Septic Systems to Sewer Connections.

We Want to Hear from You

Environmental Services will inform residents and businesses about project activities and respond to questions and concerns in a timely manner. The following resources will help you stay informed and report concerns:

Project Webpage: Please continue to visit portland.gov/bes/construction/ne57thave for regular project details.
Questions? Kindly leave amessage at 503-823-5759 or email city staff, stating that NE 57th Avenue Sewer Extension Project (E11542) is your project of concern. Outreach staff will return your call by the next business day.
Construction Noise Complaint: To report a noise concern, call the City Noise Program at 503-823-1338. The noise hotline is monitored by site inspectors.
Sewer Emergency: In the event of a sewer backup or basement flooding, call the City Maintenance hotline immediately at 503-823-1700. It is staffed all hours and all days, 24/7.

Sign Up for Updates

Sign up for periodic email or text message updates for the NE 57th Avenue Sewer Extension Project through our free GovDelivery subscription service. These updates are the best way to stay informed about what’s happening and what to expect. You can also sign up for bulletins on other projects and topics.

This project will help protect the health of the Willamette River Watershed.