SE Carlton and 72nd Sewer Project

Sewer and Stormwater
Active
Environmental Services is nearing completion of a project to replace and upsize 600 feet of 100-year-old concrete public sewer pipes and 28 service lateral pipes in the Mt. Scott-Arleta neighborhood. This project will reduce risks of basement sewer backups, flooding, and future emergency repairs.
Construction will continue through April or May.
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Project Area

This project will replace public sewer pipes in SE Carlton Street between SE 67th and 69th avenues and in SE 72nd Avenue between SE Henry and SE Duke streets.    

SE Carlton Street between SE 67th and SE 69th avenues and SE 72nd Avenue between SE Henry and SE Duke streets.

General Schedule

Construction of this project is nearly complete. 

What’s Happening Now 

The construction contractor has completed sewer replacement and repair work in both SE Carlton Street and SE 72nd Avenue. This week, crews will prepare for and complete asphalt pavement restoration in both locations. 

Week of May 15

Crews will complete asphalt pavement restoration:

  • Sawcut pavement to prepare for asphalt grind and overlay.
  • Grind down temporary asphalt pavement patches to prepare for new asphalt overlay.
  • Apply new asphalt overlay and smooth the surface. 
  • Complete repair and restoration for sewer service lateral at 6424 SE 72nd Avenue. 

What to Expect

You can expect the following activities and impacts during construction:

  • Approved work hours are between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and Saturday as needed. 
  • Construction creates noise, vibration, and dust and disrupts normal neighborhood activity.
  • After sewer construction work is completed and passes inspections, crews will return to restore sections of street pavement that they had to dig up during construction. 
  • Learn more by reading a brief guide on what the community can expect during ongoing construction projects conducted by Environmental Services. 

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.

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 this project, sewer and transportation crews walked both SE Carlton Street and SE 72nd Avenue to determine pavement restoration requirements and area limits for new pavement. They reviewed 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. One location in SE 72nd Avenue will require concrete pavement restoration. The contractor will complete pavement restoration when weather permits, with dry conditions and temperatures sustained above 50 degrees.

Construction Methods

The contractor will use open trench excavation to construct sewer and stormwater improvements. 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.  

Crews will install new mainline public sewer pipes in the street. Then they will construct new sewer service laterals from the mainline pipe in the street to the curb or to the back of a planter wall, depending on the location. 

A sewer service lateral is a pipe that provides a public sewer connection for a house, business, or undeveloped property. It runs from the mainline public sewer in the street to the curb and connects to the property’s private sewer line or is capped at the property line for future use, e.g., future development or resolution of a nonconforming sewer connection.

The City of Portland is responsible for maintaining the public portion of the lateral sewer pipe from the mainline public sewer to the curb. The private property owner is responsible for maintaining the private lateral sewer pipe from the curb to the house or building.

We Want to Hear from You 

Environmental Services will work directly with the community throughout the course of the project. Community outreach staff will listen to your suggestions and respond to your concerns. We encourage you to:

  • Visit the project webpage for updates using the shortcut portland.gov/bes/secarlton72nd. 
  • If you have a question about a pipe repair near you, please be sure to include your name, property address, and project name (SE Carlton and SW 72nd) 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 periodic email or text message updates for the SE Carlton and SE 72nd Sewer 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.