Pacific Power - Willamette River Crossing Project
Two-thirds of The Fields Park grassy oval is closed due to a Pacific Power - Willamette River Crossing Project. A brief description of the work is below. Complete project details and timeline are on the Pacific Power - Willamette River Crossing Project website.
Project Frequently Asked Questions
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.
Upcoming work at The Fields Park:
The Horizontal Direction Drill (HDD) river crossing route and the eastern and western onshore routes have been identified and final approvals are in process. The contractor has installed sound blankets and taken other steps in an attempt to redirect and reduce the noise impact of the drill and its power source above the sound wall. The contractor remains hopeful that there will not be any additional need to use the hammer for the work in The Fields Park.
Pacific Power will resume drilling in The Fields Park on Tuesday, Sept. 3. and continue through October. The drill machine will be used both to complete the boring and to install the pipe, so the noise and impact from the drilling will be consistent and similar to what you experienced in the spring and early summer before the delay. Once this round of drilling is complete, PacifiCorp does not anticipate additional drilling or hammering, at The Fields Park, for the remainder of the project. At that point the work will move to installation of conduit and other work under the park and streets and then restoration of the park. Here’s the anticipated work in the coming weeks:
Upcoming work update from PacifiCorp:
- Week of November 18
- Fields Park – Excavation for south bore to NW Overton St.
- West side of river city streets – Trenching and excavation on NW Overton St,; Tree trimming on NW Overton St. and NW Pettygrove St., including road closures
- Week of November 25 (Week of Thanksgiving)
- Fields Park – Excavation for south bore to NW Overton St.
- West side of river city streets – Trenching and excavation on NW Overton St., including road closures
- Week of December 2
- Fields Park – Excavation for south bore to NW Overton St.
- West side of river city streets – Trenching and excavation on NW Overton St., including road closures
- Week of December 9
- Fields Park – Excavation for south bore to NW Overton St.
- West side of river city streets – Trenching and excavation on NW Overton St. and NW Pettygrove St., including road closures
Overall Project Timeline:
The most up-to-date timeline can be found at the Pacific Power - Willamette River Crossing Project page.
- 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 18 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).