South Portland-Burlingame Sewer Project

Sewer and Stormwater

Active

Environmental Services is constructing a project in the South Portland and South Burlingame neighborhoods that will repair approximately 7,108 linear feet of aging public sewer pipes, that are on average 90 years old. This will help protect public health and the Willamette River Watershed.

Construction began in June 2023 and will take up to a year and a half to complete.

On this Page

Project Area

The simplified map below is a visual illustration of work zones for the South Portland-Burlingame Sewer Project. The graphic shows details on planned sewer improvements, identifies construction methods, and informs where night or extended work hours will occur.

Simplified map of work zones and proposed construction hours in the South Portland - Burlingame Sewer Project — Simplified map for the South Portland - Burlingame Sewer Project. 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.

General Schedule

Construction began in June 2023 and was anticipated to be complete by late-November 2024. Due to uncharted project delays and inspection challenges, work is extended into Summer 2025.

Thank you to all residents and surrounding businesses for their continued patience and understanding as the city contractor works to finalize the extended South Portland-Burlingame Sewer Project. Environmental Services recognizes that delays can be frustrating, and we truly appreciate your support throughout this process.

What's Happening Now?

For the next several weeks, the city contractor will continue to focus on mainline sewer replacement, lateral repairs, installation of sewer cleanouts, and maintenance hole restoration at multiple work zones. Some repairs to utilize cured-in-place pipe lining (CIPP) and horizontal directional drilling (HDD), trenchless methods to minimize disruption to sidewalks, curbs, streets, traffic, public utilities, and reduce impacts on the neighborhood. While others may require additional saw cutting of pavement andopen trench excavation to install and upsize piping.

Once all CIPP lining work is completed, crews to focus on upcoming night work and permanent paving restoration possibly in mid-July. Street resurfacing will be scheduled at a later date. The goal of the latest round of repairs, outstanding and new, is to prevent sewage releases into buildings, streets, and the environment, and to further enhance pipe longevity.

Look-ahead Schedule

The traveling public should stay alert to all workers, equipment, temporary changes to traffic, and should anticipate delays during peak travel periods. Parking near work zones is restricted during construction. The traveling public is encouraged to observe all closures and follow directions by flaggers. Local access to residences and businesses will remain available. Environmental Services encourages the use of the look-ahead schedule below to plan your commute and stay on top of priorities.

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

Rest of the Week (Updated):

Daytime work hours are Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the following locations:

ODOT Property between S Boundary and Mitchell Streets – Crews will continue to stage construction building materials, equipment, and vehicles. Site to remain active throughout project.
Intersection of S Boundary and Macadam Avenue – Crews connect maintenance hole install to piping on Boundary. Street closures not anticipated.
S Boundary Street near Corbett Avenue – Crews to finish repair pipe via CIPP lining.
S Hume Street between 9^th and 10^th Avenues – Crews to redo permanent paving restoration.
S Laview Drive, adjacent to S Fulton Park Boulevard – Crews complete maintenance hole repairs and cure pipe via CIPP lining.
S Texas Street west of Virginia Avenue –Crews to resume monitoring of revegetated slope.
S Virginia Avenue near S Vermont Street –Crews to finish pipe repair via CIPP lining. Street closures not anticipated.

*US Independence Day: The city contractor will temporarily stop construction by 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 3. Work crews will return to work zones and resume construction on Monday, July 7. Please note most City of Portland facilities and offices will be closed due to the federal observance of the 4^th of July holiday.

Please obey all traffic control signs and follow the directions of all flaggers onsite.

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, stopping work at 12 p.m., and taking other protective measures during extreme weather.

Environmental Services encourages the traveling public to observe all closures and follow directions by flaggers. All work is weather-dependent, and the schedule below is subject to change due to contractor availability.

What to Expect During Construction

A Safe Work Site — We want you to be safe around the work site. Please keep children, pets, bikes, cars, and trucks away from the tools, machines, supplies, and construction workers.
Noise, Vibration, and Dust — Construction creates noise, vibration, and dust and disrupts normal neighborhood activity.
Traffic Delays — The work will slow down traffic in your neighborhood. Please read the traffic signs and follow directions from the workers with flags.
Access to Your Home or Business — You will be able to go to your home or business, but you may not be able to park as close as you would like. We will try to make sure driveways and parking lot entrances stay open.
Parking Restrictions — We want you to be safe, so you might not be able to park your car next to workspaces, equipment, or materials. If crews are working directly in front of your home or a business, you may need to park in another place.
Equipment Storage — Sometimes we will leave tools, machines, and supplies on your street overnight. Please stay away from them.
Maintained Service — You can still use sewer, water, and other services while we work on your street.
Work Hours — Work hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. Sometimes we work on Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Schedule Changes and Inactivity — Our work schedules can change for many reasons like weather, traffic, and problems with tools, machines, or supplies. Sometimes we need to stop between different types of work and start again later.

To learn more about construction impacts on projects Environmental Services manages, visit the What to Expect During Construction webpage.

Construction Methods

The project is designed to use the following sewer construction methods to repair or replace public sewer piping:

Cured-in-Place-Pipe Lining (CIPP) — To install liners that seal cracks, help prevent root intrusion and restore the pipes to near-new condition.
Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) — To construct sewer extensions and service laterals.
Jack and Bore — The contractor will drill a hole horizontally underground to install a new pipe where one was not one before.
Open Trench Excavation — To dig small trenches to replace short sections of broken pipe before repairing the entire mainline sewer pipe, and to construct sewer service laterals and access pits.
Pipe Reaming — Trenchless method to replace and upsize public sewer pipes.
Vactor Excavation — To install sewer cleanouts so that crews can access sewer connections to downtown buildings and maintain sewer service during repairs.

Private Belongings in the Right-of-Way

To construct the sewer extensions, crews will need to access and work in the public right-of-way — specifically between the curb and the edge of the sidewalk up to your property line. Anything belonging to you that is located in the right-of-way may be disturbed by construction, including irrigation systems, hard landscaping (stone, brick, pavers, garden boxes, retaining walls, or other construction materials), soft landscaping (trees, plants, shrubs, flowers, grass, bark, etc.), and other amenities. Please remove any items you wish to keep before crews get there. If the contractor finds items in the right-of-way that conflict with construction, crews will remove and dispose of the items.

If construction disturbs these kinds of items, the city cannot restore or replace them. However, once construction is complete, they will repair or replace sidewalks, driveway aprons, and curbs as needed. The city will also replace topsoil and grass seed in the planting strip, and any street trees that were removed.

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: Continue tovisit portland.gov/bes/SPB for regular project details.
Questions? Call the message line or email city staff, stating that South Portland – Burlingame Sewer Project (E11080) is your project of concern. Outreach staff will return your call by the next business day.
Nighttime Construction Noise Complaint: To submit a report, call the City Noise Program hotline at 503-823-1338, stating your area of concern. 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.
Other Projects in the Area: To learn more aboutsewer and stormwater projects in Southwest Portland, visit the Find Environmental Services Projects webpage.

Project Background

The project scheduled for your neighborhood is part of the city’s program to maintain and upgrade the public sewer system. In the early 1900s, when Portland was growing rapidly, the city-built hundreds of miles of sewers. Since most sewer pipes have a lifespan of about 100 years, Portland is now facing an urgent need to modernize its aging system.

Environmental Services has launched a large-scale effort to repair or replace the highest priority pipes throughout the city. Your neighborhood will experience a temporary disruption but will benefit from the improved infrastructure.

The City of Portland is replacing aging and deteriorating sewer pipes with modern materials. These materials are more resistant to blockages than the materials used 80 to 100 years ago. The updates will provide a safe, efficient, and reliable sewer system for your neighborhood and the city.

We thank you in advance for your patience and cooperation while we complete this important infrastructure work.

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