What's Happening Now
Please note that work is weather dependent, and the schedule below is subject to change.
Week of December 15 - No work is scheduled on SE 13th Avenue or Tacoma Street
- As weather and crew availability allow, crews may complete small miscellaneous tasks in various locations throughout the project area, such as fixing nicks in curbs or filling in planter strip gaps with extra dirt.
Week of December 22 - No work is scheduled on SE 13th Avenue or Tacoma Street
- As weather and crew availability allow, crews may complete small miscellaneous tasks in various locations throughout the project area, such as fixing nicks in curbs or filling in planter strip gaps with extra dirt.
Businesses Open During Construction
We want to highlight the local businesses along SE 13th Avenue between Tacoma and Nehalem Streets. While construction can bring temporary disruptions, it's also a great time to show extra support for the incredible shops, restaurants, and services that make this stretch such an important part of the neighborhood:
- On Point Community Credit Union (8085 SE 13th Ave)
- The small businesses upstairs at 8083 SE 13th Ave
- Chameleon Salon (8071 SE 13th Ave)
- 1874 House Antiques (8070 SE 13th Ave)
- Cat & Dog Hospital of Portland (8065 SE 13th Ave)
- Gino's (8051 SE 13th Ave)
- Pacific Dance Academy (8050 SE 13th Ave #101)
- Notary Ceramics (8035 SE 13th Ave #6605)
- Soulful PDX (8029 SE 13th Ave)
- The Collective In Sellwood (8027 SE 13th Ave)
- Sellwood Union Vintage Clothing Store (8017 SE 13th Ave)
- Plural Collective (8012 SE 13th Ave)
- Junbi Matcha (8007 SE 13th Ave)
- Chrisman Picture Frame & Gallery (8002 SE 13th Ave)
- Pizzeria Stellina (8000 SE 13th Ave)
- And, of course, the many other businesses on other stretches of 13th Avenue and throughout Sellwood!
Project Area
The project area is generally bounded by SE Insley Street to the north, SE Linn Street to the south, SE Oaks Park Way to the west, and 99E to the east with a few areas north of SE Lambert Street. See map for details.
Additional work has been added to the project outside the Sellwood neighborhood. Crews will be working in the Creston-Kenilworth neighborhood to repair deteriorating sewer pipe on SE 34th Avenue (Holgate Boulevard and Cora Drive) and on SE Holgate Boulevard (33rd Place to 35th Avenue).
Additional work has been added to the project outside the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood. Crews will be working in the Creston-Kenilworth neighborhood to repair deteriorating sewer pipe on SE 34th Avenue (between Holgate Boulevard and Cora Drive) and on SE Holgate Boulevard (between 33rd Place and 34th Avenue) and SE 35th Avenue (north of Holgate Boulevard).
What to Expect During Construction
Unless extended hours are needed, work on SE 13th Avenue north of Tacoma Street will occur from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Construction hours on SE 13th Avenue south of Tacoma Street, as well as the other residential streets, are Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Work may be done on some Saturdays, as well.
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: Equipment and materials may be stored on streets overnight.
- No Parking: Little or no on‐street parking will be allowed in and near work zones, especially during work hours. 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.
- Services Maintained: Sewer, water, and other utilities are expected to remain in service during construction.
- Garbage Pickup: Access to garbage and recycling bins for haulers will always be maintained.
- 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.
Possible Extended Work Hours
To reduce overall impact to residents and businesses, Environmental Services received a noise variance to work evenings and nights in a few complicated or busy areas on SE Tacoma Street and SE 13th Avenue. While most work will occur during the day, two evening shifts are expected to occur on each block within the extended work hour areas shown on the map. Allowable extended work hours are between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m. Monday through Saturday and on Sundays when needed. Overnight work is not expected and unlikely. Neighbors will be notified if overnight work becomes necessary.
Construction During Extreme Weather
When high temperatures, extreme heat, near freezing temperatures, or extreme cold are in the weather forecast, crews may adjust schedules to protect workers from the dangers of heat stress and cold 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 and its Cold Stress Safety and Health Plan. You may see crews taking more frequent water and rest breaks, starting work as early as 6 a.m., stopping work at noon, and taking other protective measures during extreme weather.
Project Background
Properties that do not have a direct, independent, and approved route of connection from their private sewer line to the public sewer system are considered nonconforming. This project will extend the sewer system in 54 locations (see map above) and provide 123 property owners a way to directly and independently connect to the public sewer system, enabling them to bring their sewer connections into compliance with current City plumbing code.
The Nonconforming Sewer Office has contacted homeowners who will be directly impacted by the project. For more information on nonconforming sewers, visit the nonconforming sewer webpage.
Paving and Sewer Projects: Did You Know?
During sewer construction, crews often need to dig trenches to put in new sewer pipes. After the pipes are installed, the contractor puts down temporary pavement to make the street usable again as quickly as possible. We know some streets in your neighborhood have had rough and uneven temporary paving for a long time.
It’s normal to have breaks of a few weeks or even a few months between finishing sewer repairs and doing the final paving. This can happen for several reasons, like waiting for a paving crew to be available, bad weather, or needed inspections after the sewer work. We appreciate your patience and are working hard to get the final paving done as soon as we can.
Private Improvements in Public Right-of-Way
In some locations, crews will need to work in the public right-of-way (see image below) - specifically the parking strip and the planting strip between the curb and the sidewalk. This is necessary to install new sewer lateral connections from the main sewer to the property line of each property with a nonconforming sewer.
If you have a nonconforming sewer, please prepare to temporarily remove any items belonging to you or to your property that may be located within the public right-of-way adjacent to your property. This may include irrigation systems, landscaping (stone walkways, plants, bark, etc.), and other amenities.
For More Information
Environmental Services will inform residents and businesses about project activities and respond to questions and concerns in a timely manner. We encourage you to:
- Visit this project webpage regularly for updates.
- With questions or comments, please contact Tracie Heidt by email or phone 503-865-6492.
- If you have a question or concern, please be sure to include your name, property address, and project name (Sellwood Sewer Extension) 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.
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This project will help protect the health of the Willamette River and Johnson Creek watersheds.
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