Multnomah Blvd Repaving and Construction Updates
 
Date: July 27, 2011
Contact: Stephen Sykes, 503-823-7898, stephen.sykes@portlandoregon.gov
 
Updates
 
Thank you for your patience during the past year of sewer infrastructure projects on SW Multnomah Blvd.  The construction that began in June 2010 on Multnomah Blvd was a sewer replacement project.  That project impacted the water delivery system in the same areas and required the replacement of water main and services.  The sewer component of that project was completed in December 2010 and the water component was completed in March 2011.  Based on a change in the pavement restoration scope, the roadway between SW 31st and SW 45th will be repaved full width before this project is fully completed.  Currently the contractor is preparing the pavement for grinding of the existing asphalt and installation of new asphalt. The current work involves lowering the tops of utility heads in preparation for asphalt grinding.  The contractor expects to grind asphalt the week of August 1st and repave the week of August 8th. 
 
The construction activities that you are seeing between SW 31st and SW Barbur are related to an upcoming sewer reconstruction project that is related to the one mentioned above.  The Burlingame Trunk sewer reconstruction project will officially begin next week with signing of the project's 12 month contract.  In advance of the sewer work that will replace a 50 year old trunk line, a variety of utilities will be relocating their facilities to accommodate the sewer work.  The Portland Water Bureau has been working in the vicinity of the 2600 block recently.  This sewer project will also impact utility lines owned by Northwest Natural Gas, PGE, and Level 3 (telecommunications); each of these companies will spend time in the near future relocating their facilities.  This project will include the closure of the I-5 on / off ramps to Multnomah Blvd for 45 days.  The ramp closure is necessary to accommodate sewer bypass equipment and construction equipment and is expected to begin in mid-September.  The Burlingame Trunk project will upsize the gravity segment of sewer that takes wastewater flows from the Fanno pressure sewer.
 
Finally, a smaller third project got underway on Multnomah Blvd this week.  The Multnomah Blvd Stormwater Facilities project will install five stormwater facilities at various locations on Multnomah Blvd between SW 40th and SW 69th Avenues.  The contractor began working at SW 45th Ave this week.  Comparatively, this project will minimally impact traffic as each facility will be constructed within a few weeks and much of the work will be performed off of the roadway.  Nonetheless, there will be impacts to travel lanes at times.  The contractors, and the city staff that are managing these projects, are coordinating the construction and traffic control plans accordingly.
 
Here is the website that contains the most information about the Fanno Basin Sewer Improvements projects:  http://www.portlandonline.com/bes/index.cfm?c=49285 or www.portlandonline.com/bes/fanno. I am in the process of updating these sites to incorporate information related to the paving restoration, upcoming stormwater projects on SW Multnomah Blvd., and Burlingame Trunk Sewer Replacement.
 
Please let me know if you have additional questions about these projects.
 
Stephen Sykes - Community Outreach and Public Involvement
City of Portland Environmental Services
1120 SW 5th Avenue Room 1000
Portland, OR 97204
phone:  503.823.7898
cell:  503.823.8341
fax:  503.823.6995
Note my new email address:
 stephen.sykes@portlandoregon.gov 
www.portlandonline.com/bes/