(February 21, 2019) – The City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services advises the public that a sewer repair project will close N Vancouver Avenue to daytime travel between NE Russell and NE Hancock streets for three months beginning Monday, February 25.

The closure will be in effect for construction from 9:15 a.m. through 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and during the same hours on Saturdays as needed. People traveling by motor vehicle will be detoured to NE Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard. People traveling by bicycle will be detoured to NE Rodney Avenue.

Local access will be maintained for residents and people visiting businesses along N Vancouver Avenue. All lanes will re-open to traffic during non-construction hours.

Environmental Services asks the traveling public to be patient, travel with extra caution, use the recommended detours and be alert for families and children walking and biking to Harriet Tubman Middle School on N Flint Avenue and connecting side streets.

Environmental Services is coordinating with the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), Harriet Tubman Middle School and Portland Police Traffic Division to maintain safe traffic flow in the neighborhood. While the traffic closure begins after school starts, please help maintain safety near the school by using designated detour routes.

The closure and construction is part of the Eliot Sewer and Stormwater Project and will allow crews to repair and replace about two miles of deteriorating public sewer pipes that are 100 to 120 years old. The project also includes constructing green street planters in key locations to reduce the amount of stormwater entering the combined sewer system. These improvements will protect public health, property and the environment by reducing the possibility of sewage releases into streets, homes and businesses. Project information may be found at www.portlandoregon.gov/bes/eliot.

The Bureau of Environmental Services works with Portland residents and businesses to protect water quality, public health, and the environment through wastewater collection and treatment, sewer construction and maintenance, stormwater management, and stream and watershed restoration.

Media contact: Diane Dulken (503)457-7636 diane.dulken@portlandoregon.gov