Pacific Power - Willamette River Crossing Project
Complete project details and timeline can be found on the Pacific Power - Willamette River Crossing Project website.
Project background
To accommodate the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) long-planned cleanup of the Portland Harbor Superfund Site, Pacific Power plans to remove the existing power supply cables in the sediment of the Willamette River in Portland located between the Broadway and Fremont Bridges. To preserve power service and reliability to their customers, they will replace the old lines with a new group of lines. The new underground line will be approximately 2 miles long and will be located underneath the bed of the river. The new underground line will be placed inside two, 2-foot diameter, 3,000-foot-long tunnels to be drilled under the riverbed. The new lines will be installed and placed into service in advance of any existing line removal or EPA cleanup.
The project requires stationing and use of massive drills and other equipment to create the tunnel under the river and install the new line. The staging area for this on the west side of the river is the grassy area of The Fields Park. During the construction phase of the project, which we currently expect could last approximately twelve months, two-thirds of the oval grassy area of The Fields Park will be closed to the public. Pacific Power will make every effort to use as little of the green space as possible, but users should expect use of the grassy portion of the park to off-limits during the construction phase of the project. The playground, dog off-leash area, and oval walking path will all remain open. Once the project is completed, access to all portions of the park will be restored.
Project timeline
- Design, Permitting & Right of Way: 2019 - 2023
- Engineering & Equipment Procurement: 2022 - 2023
- Construction
- Construction begins at The Fields Park – Fall 2023
- Two-thirds of the grassy oval at The Fields Park will be closed to the public for up to 12 months
- The popular dog off-leash area, playground, and oval walking path at The Fields Park will remain open during the project.
- River Crossing Underground Crossing – 2023 - 2024
- Onshore West Side Construction – 2023 - 2025
- Onshore East Side Construction – 2023 - 2025
- Completion– Late 2025
- Construction begins at The Fields Park – Fall 2023
Project contact: PacificPowerConstruction@PacifiCorp.com - Please include the project name “River Crossing” in your inquiry.
Basic Earthquake Emergency Communication Node (BEECN)
A Basic Earthquake Emergency Communication Node (pronounced beacon) is a place to go in Portland after a major earthquake to ask for emergency assistance if phone service is down, or report severe damage or injury. More information can be found at the Basic Earthquake Emergency Communication Node page.
In the early 1900s, the Pearl District was a major industrial and transportation hub of Portland, with extensive rail yards, warehousing, and manufacturing facilities. In the 1950s, many industrial activities were relocated as transportation patterns shifted from water and rail to surface transit on interstate highways and air. The low rents that soon followed created spaces for artists and small businesses.
The Pearl District of today began in the early 1980s with extensive planning efforts to convert warehouses and rail yards into mixed-use development. Pearl District redevelopment gained momentum in the 1990s which resulted in urban mixed-use with multi-family residential buildings, offices, and a broad range of retail shops and services.
This is the third park that was outlined in the Portland River District Park System Urban Design Framework Study (January 2001). The study included planning and design concepts for four parks within the Urban renewal Area (URA) located between NW 10 and 11 Avenues, beginning at NW Johnson. The four parks include Jamison Square (completed 2002), Tanner Springs (completed 2005), The Fields (completed 2013), and a potential Riverfront Park. The Fields is situated within the Hoyt Street Yards portion of the Pearl District Neighborhood Association (PDNA).