Construction Update 7/6/20
PGE will begin pole relocation on July 13. Expect spot lane closures with flaggers during this work which will take approximately one month. Construction by City of Portland along SW Capitol Highway proper is delayed until the fall as the city and contractor continue price negotiations and complete final engineering plans. Construction in the four stormwater basin locations (Multnomah-North, Multnomah-South, Dolph, and 42nd/Woods Creek) may begin as soon as August, starting with additional tree removals.
Construction Update 6/8/20
Construction along SW Capitol Highway proper is delayed until the fall as the city and contractor continue price negotiations, evaluate cost reduction proposals, and complete final engineering plans. Construction in the four stormwater basin locations (Multnomah-North, Multnomah-South, Dolph, and 42nd/Woods Creek) may begin as soon as July, starting with additional tree removals. Utility relocation by NW Natural is currently underway, soon to be followed by PGE and CenturyLink.
Construction Update 4/3/20
The early tree cutting package is now complete, with work having concluded on the north side of SW Multnomah Boulevard adjacent to the proposed stormwater basin next to the US Post Office. Tree cutting along SW Capitol Highway ended earlier this week. Biologists did not find any bird nests that would have delayed work.
Additional tree removal will not occur until May when the phase 2 construction contract is executed and the city finishes acquiring easements on private property. This second phase of tree removal will be less intense along SW Capitol Highway (about 20 additional trees), with most work occurring on a stormwater basin property on the south side of SW Multnomah Boulevard between 40th and 45th Avenues, where more than 60 trees will be cleared. Further clearing of shrubs and stumps on SW Capitol Highway will not occur until the phase 2 construction contract is underway later this spring. This clearing and grubbing work will gradually make its way from north to south on SW Capitol Highway over the course of the summer.
The month of April and the first part of May will bring a lull in construction activity, as the city and contractor finalize construction documents. However, utility providers will begin relocation work. NW Natural, PGE, Century Link, Comcast, and Portland Water Bureau all have relocation work scheduled over the next three months on SW Capitol Highway and on SW Alice Street west of Capitol Highway, including relocating underground pipes, power and communications poles, and water meters. This work will result in occasional lane closures with flaggers, similar to the tree work that just finished.
Construction Update 3/19/20
Tree cutting continues this week. This "early work package" is more than halfway done. Tree cutting is complete at the Dolph Court and Woods Creek stormwater facility locations. Tree cutting on SW Capitol Highway is nearly complete, with some work remaining at the south end of the corridor. On SW Multnomah Boulevard near the Post Office, PGE crews are trimming around power lines in anticipation of PBOT's contractor cutting trees there next week. Tree cutting under this work package is likely to be complete by the end of the month.
After completion of the early tree cutting, there will be a lull in construction activity during April and part of May as the city and contractor finalize their main construction contract.
Construction Update 3/10/20
Tree cutting and trimming has begun. PGE tree trimming crews are on Capitol Highway, while the PBOT contractor is cutting trees at the SW Dolph Court stormwater facility property. PBOT's contractor will wrap up at Dolph Court on Thursday 3/12 and move to the proposed stormwater facility at the south end of SW 42nd Ave adjacent to Woods Creek Natural Area. Work at 42nd will take place on Friday 3/13 and Monday 3/16. The contractor will then move to the Capitol Highway corridor for the rest of the week of March 16, moving from north to south from 39th Avenue to Collins Street. This work on Capitol Highway is likely to extend into the week of March 23 and is limited to trees in the public right-of-way. PGE trimming crews will also remain on Capitol Highway until March 20, so travelers may encounter two different flagging operations. The final batch of tree work under this work package will be on the north side of SW Multnomah Boulevard west of 40th Avenue near the proposed stormwater facility next to the Post Office. This work will start the week of March 23 and conclude the week of March 30. Traffic impacts in the month of March will include spot lane closures with two-way traffic maintained by flaggers on Capitol Highway and Multnomah Boulevard, along with minor access restrictions on side streets. See the Detour Tracker for more information.
Construction Update 3/3/20
Tree cutting and trimming has been delayed by up to a week due to processing of contract documents. We expect tree cutting to begin as early as Thursday, March 5th, but more likely on Monday, March 9. Tree work will likely last through March 27. The locations are still the same:
- The public right-of-way of SW Capitol Highway between SW Garden Home Road and SW Taylors Ferry Road
- The public right-of-way on the north side of SW Multnomah Boulevard west of SW 40th Avenue
- City property on the south side of SW Dolph Court one block east of SW Capitol Highway
- City property and right-of-way at the south end of SW 42nd Avenue south of SW Alice Street
Tree crews under contract with both PBOT and PGE will be active in these locations. You can expect occasional lane closures and flagging at times to safely remove and trim trees. In advance of the tree cutting, a city biologist has been on site to look for bird nests, in compliance with federal and state laws protecting wildlife. The biologist did not find any nests at the Dolph and 42nd locations.
Trees fully on private property will not be removed until easement agreements are reached with affected property owners, most likely in May.
Construction Update 2/21/20
Tree cutting and trimming in the following locations is scheduled for March 2 through March 20:
- The public right-of-way of SW Capitol Highway between SW Garden Home Road and SW Taylors Ferry Road
- The public right-of-way on the north side of SW Multnomah Boulevard west of SW 40th Avenue
- City property on the south side of SW Dolph Court one block east of SW Capitol Highway
- City property and right-of-way at the south end of SW 42nd Avenue south of SW Alice Street
Tree crews under contract with both PGE and PBOT will be active in these locations. You can expect occasional lane closures and flagging at times to safely remove and trim trees. In advance of the tree cutting, a city biologist will be present to look for bird nests, in compliance with federal and state laws protecting wildlife.
Trees fully on private property will not be removed until easement agreements are reached with affected property owners, most likely in May.
Construction Update 1/31/20
Thanks to those who were able to attend the construction open house on January 30. We had over 150 people attend! To download a PDF version of the display boards, which includes a construction schedule and sequencing diagram, click here.
Tree Tagging, Trimming and Cutting
Starting February 3, a certified arborist will be tagging trees along the SW Capitol Highway corridor and in the stormwater facility properties on SW Dolph Court and at the end of SW 42nd Avenue. Actual tree removal and trimming will begin the week of February 17 at the earliest.
The first phase of tree removal will focus only on trees in the public right-of-way of SW Capitol Highway between Garden Home and Taylors Ferry Roads, in the public right-of-way of SW Multnomah Boulevard between 40th and 45th Avenues, and on two city-owned properties – one each in the 4000 block of SW Dolph Court and the 9300 block of SW 42nd Avenue.
Later phases of tree removal in April/May will include about a dozen trees on private property along SW Capitol Highway, and numerous small trees in the proposed stormwater facility locations off of SW Multnomah Boulevard between 40th and 45th Avenues. Tree removal in these property locations will be authorized by temporary construction easements and property acquisitions currently in process – these transactions include compensation to property owners. Trees cut later in the spring will require a city biologist to be on site to monitor for bird nests.
Trees affected by the project in any way will have aluminum tags installed with tree identification numbers. If the tree is to be removed or trimmed, it will have a spray paint marking in addition to the aluminum tag. If a tree has an aluminum tag but no spray paint, that means that the tree will remain and will have protection measures in place during construction. If you have questions or want to see the tree plans, please contact project staff.
Right-of-way process
Wooden stakes with pink flagging and some pink paint can be seen along the corridor. These stakes indicate where temporary and permanent easements are needed for construction - PBOT is currently corresponding with property owners regarding these easement agreements.