Work includes repairing or replacing 100-year-old public sewer pipes, and constructing sewer service laterals, maintenance holes, sewer cleanouts, and storm drain inlets.
Project Area
This project includes public sewer repairs in NW Westover Road, NW Summit Avenue, and NW Lovejoy Street.
What's Happening Now
James W. Fowler Co., working with the City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services, anticipates completing remaining sewer repairs and street pavement restoration work by the end of May.
For street re-paving work, motor vehicle access will be restricted to LOCAL ACCESS ONLY for residents. Residents are asked not to park in the signed NO PARKING areas. Please plan to move your vehicles off the street by 7 a.m. each workday and return them at 6 p.m.
Schedule
The following schedule may change due to many factors, including extreme heat, rain, material supply, subcontractor schedules, underground conditions, and other factors.
NW Lovejoy Street
- COMPLETED: Form and pour concrete pavement on the south side of NW Lovejoy, west of NW Marcia. Concrete will take up to a week to cure to full strength before allowing vehicles on it.
- THIS WEEK: Form and pour concrete pavement on the north side of NW Lovejoy, west of NW Marcia. Concrete will take up to a week to cure to full strength before allowing vehicles on it.
- THIS WEEK: Form and pour ADA curb ramp at intersection of NW Lovejoy and NW Cornell.
- MAY 24: Prepare and pave asphalt on NW Lovejoy, east of NW Marcia.
- Please move your vehicles out of the street closure area during work hours, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Vehicles will not be able to park on-street during the concrete drying and hardening process.
- Local access will be provided to residents to go in and out of driveways.
NW Summit Avenue
- MAY 22–24: Sewer service lateral liner repair at 932 NW Summit.
- BY MAY 30: Sections of the street need additional grinding and asphalt overlay paving.
- Please move your vehicles out of the street closure area during work hours, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closure hours may extend pass 6 p.m. to allow the new asphalt pavement to cool down enough to drive on.
- Local access will be provided to residents to go in and out of driveways. No through traffic will be allowed during work hours.
NW Westover Road
- COMPLETED: Prepare and pave asphalt on NW Westover.
- BY MAY 30: Restore pre-existing speed bump. This will require additional grinding and asphalt overlay paving.
Pavement Restoration
In sewer and stormwater construction projects where crews dig into city streets, Environmental Services is required to follow specifications set by the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), who owns the streets and manages the public rights-of-way. PBOT determines what pavement restoration a project must do and provides direction that meets the intent of the City’s Pavement Restoration Standard Drawings for Local Streets or Busy Streets.
For the NW Westover Road Sewer Repairs Project, sewer and transportation crews will walk NW Westover Road, NW Summit Avenue, and NW Lovejoy Street to determine pavement restoration requirements and area limits for new pavement. They will review where crews had to dig up the street to install new sewer pipes, maintenance access holes, catch basins, and storm drains and determine where and how to provide permanent restoration of the temporary asphalt patches.
Most of the asphalt patches where crews had to dig in the street will be restored with new asphalt pavement. NW Lovejoy Street will include concrete restoration. The contractor will complete pavement restoration when weather permits, with dry conditions and temperatures sustained above 50 degrees.
What to Expect During Construction
You can expect the following activities and impacts during construction:
- Regular work hours will be 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
- Local access to properties will be provided, but through traffic will be restricted. Please observe traffic control signs, follow signed detours, and share the road safely.
- Emergency vehicle access will be provided.
- Sidewalks will remain open for pedestrians. Use caution around construction equipment and follow instructions from on-site work crews.
- There may be periods of inactivity between construction phases due to a variety of factors including weather, subcontractor schedules, and availability of materials.
- Sewer, water, and other utilities will remain in service during construction.
Learn more about pre-construction activities and what to expect during construction.
Extreme Heat
With extreme heat in the weather forecast, crews may adjust schedules to protect workers from the dangers of heat stress. When working in extreme weather environments, all City workers, contractors, and subcontractors must follow Oregon’s OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) mandates and Environmental Services’ Heat Illness Safety and Health Plan. You may see crews taking more frequent water and rest breaks, stopping work at noon, and taking other protective measures during extreme heat.
On-Street Parking
The contractor will post NO PARKING signs on streets where crews will be working and staging equipment and materials. Please plan to move your vehicles off the street by 7 a.m. and return them at 6 p.m. on days when crews are working. Keeping your vehicles parked on the street puts them at risk of being towed, delays the work, and extends the inconvenience to you and your neighbors.
The following on-street parking restrictions apply:
- Residents may NOT park in any space signed NO PARKING during the hours of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on days when crews are working.
- Residents may park in any space signed NO PARKING during the hours of 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. on days when crews are working.
- Residents may park in any space signed NO PARKING during all hours when crews are NOT working.
Construction Methods
Crews will use a combination of Open Trench Excavation and a trenchless method called Cured-in-Place-Pipe Lining (CIPP) to construct the sewer improvements in this project. Below is a description of the work to occur at each location and the construction methods to be used.
- NW Lovejoy at NW Cornell: Crews will repair one sewer pipe segment, or 45 feet, using Cured-in-Place-Pipe (CIPP) lining. The lining will seal cracks and help prevent root intrusion. Crews will also construct maintenance holes and storm drain inlet leads.
- NW Lovejoy between NW Marcia and NW Cornell: Crews will abandon old clay sewer pipes that run behind the curb and near trees. They will replace the clay pipes with 216 feet of reinforced concrete pipe using Open Trench Excavation. Crews will also construct maintenance holes, storm drain inlet leads, and service laterals.
- NW Lovejoy between NW Summit and NW Marcia: Crews will abandon old clay sewer pipes that run under stairs, behind the curb, and near trees. They will replace the clay pipes with 192 feet of reinforced concrete pipe using Open Trench Excavation. Crews will also repair two pipe segments, or 221 feet, underneath the stairway using Cured-in-Place-Pipe (CIPP) lining. Because no digging will occur near the stairway, it will remain open, with short-term closures as needed to perform the work safely. The lining will seal cracks and help prevent root intrusion. Crews will also construct maintenance holes, storm drain inlet leads, and service laterals.
- NW Summit between NW Westover and NW Lovejoy: Crews will replace 393 feet of old clay sewer pipes with upsized, reinforced concrete pipe using Open Trench Excavation. Crews will also construct sewer cleanouts, maintenance holes, storm drain inlet leads, and service laterals.
- NW Westover west of the intersection with NW Summit: Crews will replace 490 feet of old clay sewer pipes with upsized, reinforced concrete pipe using Open Trench Excavation. Crews will also construct maintenance holes, storm drain inlet leads, and service laterals. The existing speed bump will be removed for sewer construction and replaced after sewer construction is completed.
Open Trench Excavation is the traditional method of sewer construction and the most common method for installing a new sewer pipe. It consists of digging down to the required depth, installing a new pipe, and then backfilling the trench.
CIPP involves inserting a flexible liner inside the existing pipe, inflating the liner, and exposing it to heat or ultraviolet light to dry and harden the liner inside the pipe. The liner essentially forms a smooth surface inside the existing pipe, restoring it to near-new condition.
Pavement restoration will occur after all work is completed and passes inspections.
Learn more about these construction methods.
Project Background
Environmental Services completed two urgent sewer repairs in this area in 2020. Issues and investigations associated with those repairs led to this new and larger project to make public sewer improvements in NW Westover Road, NW Summit Avenue, and NW Lovejoy Street.
The prior urgent sewer repairs were as follows:
- Urgent Pipe Repair Between NW Westover and NW Summit—In January of 2020, crews completed an urgent public sewer repair that was located in private property between NW Westover Road and NW Summit Avenue.
- Small Pipe Repair in NW Westover—In late October of 2020, crews repaired a small, 50-foot section of sewer pipe located in NW Westover Road.
The project currently in construction will increase capacity of the mainline public sewer and reduce the risks of basement sewer backups and street flooding in the area.
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. We encourage you to:
- Return to this project webpage weekly for the updated construction schedule.
- With questions or comments, please contact Cheryl Kuck by email or phone 503-823-7898.
- If you have a question or concern, please be sure to include your name, property address, and project name (NW Westover Road) in your voicemail and email so we can provide you more details about what to expect in front of your property.
- If your basement sewer backs up or your property or street floods, please report it immediately to the City’s Maintenance Operations hotline at 503-823-1700. It is staffed 24/7, all hours and all days.
Sign Up for Updates
Sign up for weekly email or text message updates for the NW Westover Sewer Repairs 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.