Public Works Projects
Improving our infrastructure
Vancouver’s Public Works Department maintains and builds essential services and infrastructure to support a healthy, growing community.
As our community grows and we enhance services throughout Vancouver, we appreciate your patience and consideration as you travel slowly in construction zones. Remember to stay alert to workers, equipment, traffic changes and possible delays. General work hours for active construction projects are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, but can continue as late as 8 p.m. and include weekends if needed. Weather and construction conditions may impact schedules.
For questions about construction projects, call 360-487-7750 or email Construction Services.
West Fourth Plain Boulevard Water Main Project
Project details: A new water main pipe will be installed in West Fourth Plain Boulevard, from west of Fruit Valley Road to Lincoln Avenue, to improve our existing distribution system. Crews will excavate a trench in the street, install a new water main and fill in the trench. Pavement work will occur after the project is complete and weather allows.
Traffic impacts: Watch for single-lane closures, sidewalk closures, on-street parking restrictions and posted detours for vehicles and pedestrians. Stay alert to flaggers and prepare for brief delays.
Work hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, with the possibility of some night work
Timeline: Late April to late July
Northeast Fourth Plain Boulevard and Northeast Andresen Road Intersection Project
Project details: We are working on the intersection of Northeast Fourth Plain Boulevard and Northeast Andresen Road. Contractors are extending the right turn lane for motorists heading southbound on Andresen Road. This extension of the right turn lane will allow more vehicles to safely get into the right lane and wait until they can turn westbound.
Traffic impacts: To provide a safe area for workers, lanes will need to be closed at times during the project. Watch for intermittent lane closures for vehicle travel and periodic bike lane closures near the intersection. Sidewalks will remain open for pedestrians.
Work hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Timeline: Late March to summer 2025
Southeast 34th Street Safety and Mobility Project, from SE 162nd Avenue to SE 192nd Avenue
Project details: This project is part of a safety and mobility enhancements along Southeast 34th Street in east Vancouver. Crews will work on sidewalks, curbs and a retaining wall. This will take about two months. During the middle of summer, crews will return to start on the installation of additional safety and mobility elements.
Traffic impacts: Watch for sidewalk and single-lane closures along the south side of Southeast Cascade Park Drive and Southeast 34th Street.
Work hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Timeline: Late March to fall 2025
Jefferson Street/Kauffman Avenue Realignment Project
Project details: This project is building a new intersection at West 13th Street and Jefferson Street/Kauffman Avenue, including improvements along West 13th Street and Markle Avenue. Project elements include rebuilding sidewalks, installing new bike lanes, improving lighting, building new ADA curb ramps and adding new markings for crosswalks.
Construction updates and traffic impacts:
January 2025: Work began in late January as contractors first removed the building on the southeast corner at 915 W. 13th Street. Streets and sidewalks on Jefferson Street, West 13th Street and Kauffman Avenue will be closed during work. Local access to driveways and properties will be open but expect delays. Some night work is planned during construction.
April 2025: In early April, anticipated for April 7 and 8, there will be a brief change to the current road closures. In addition to the existing closure on Jefferson Street from West Evergreen Boulevard to West 13th Street, West 13th Street will be closed from Jefferson Street to Ingalls Street. This allows for utility work at the intersection. During this time and to allow access through the area, the intersection of Jefferson Street and West 11th Street will be open. This street will be gravel, please travel slowly.
Work hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, with some night work planned
Timeline: January to November 2025
Main Street Promise: Improvement project from 5th Street to 15th Street
Project details: Construction is underway to improve Main Street in downtown Vancouver from 5th Street to 15th Street. We are investing in making Main Street safer, more accessible, and connected for businesses, residents and visitors. The street, sidewalks, street lighting and adjacent outdoor spaces will be reconfigured to improve safety, create community and drive economic prosperity.
Traffic impacts: Work will occur at about two blocks at a time during this phased construction project. Watch for street, parking and intersection closures during the work. Businesses are open during construction.
Work hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Timeline: January 2025 to spring 2027
Northeast 22nd Avenue Storm Main Project, from Northeast 49th Street to 51st Street
Project details: Crews completed repairs on an existing storm main along NE 22nd Avenue in the West Minnehaha neighborhood. As part of this work, the damaged sections of the existing storm main were removed and replaced between NE 49th Street and NE 51st Street.
Traffic impacts: Construction work wrapped up in early 2025; final pavement restoration work is scheduled for spring of 2025 with more favorable weather. Watch for marked road closures during final paving.
Work hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Timeline: November 2024 to January 2025; final pavement restoration work scheduled for spring
East Fourth Plain Boulevard Safety and Mobility Upgrades, F Street to Fort Vancouver Way
Project details: Construction is underway on safety and mobility upgrades along Fourth Plain Boulevard from just west of F Street to Fort Vancouver Way. New project elements will include bus platforms, lane reconfiguration to add a two-way bike cycle track with a buffer between car travel lanes, repairs and restriping to existing crosswalks, and signals for bike and pedestrian safety.
April 2025 update: Work is wrapping up on East Fourth Plain Boulevard. Crews are currently striping and finishing up electrical work. This work is projected to be completed by the end of April. On the evening of April 24, the I-5 ramp at East Fourth Plain Boulevard will be closed for night work. Work hours are 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.
Traffic impacts: Expect lane closures, lane shifts, ramp lane closures, shoulder closures and traffic delays during this project. There may be some night work hours.
Work hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Timeline: October 2024 to spring 2025
Sewer Interceptor Rehabilitation Project along East 5th Street and East 6th Street
Project details: This project rehabilitates an aging sewer interceptor pipe along East 5th Street and East 6th Street, starting at Grand Boulevard and continuing west to Main Street, working on both the east and west sides of the I-5 corridor. The project uses trenchless technology methods to line the pipe’s interior in place. During construction, equipment and pipes are placed along the project route. The piping is used as a temporary bypass route as the underground pipes are rehabilitated.
Traffic impacts: There could be minor impacts to traffic along the project route, especially on East 5th Street and East 6th Street. Please stay alert to possible closures or delays. Watch for equipment and workers when traveling near the project.
Work hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Timeline: Work east of I-5 along East 5th Street, September 2024 to January 2025. Work west of I-5 mainly along East 6th Street, date to be determined in 2025.
Water Tower Repainting Projects
Project details: In early January, work began on Water Tower 5 near Vancouver Fire Department Station 3. This work will be on the interior of the reservoir and supporting column. Crews will sandblast and repaint the interior of the water tower, including the top bowl and the hollow supporting structure.
Toward the end of 2024, crews worked on Water Tower 6 near Tower Crest Park. Due to sun exposure, the paint on the upper half of the tower’s exterior had deteriorated. Crews sandblasted and repainted the upper half of the water tower’s exterior. The primer coating has been applied. Two coats of paint will be applied during spring 2025, anticipated for April and May. This work will be quieter than previous sandblasting and take about three weeks.
Noise impacts: At Water Tower 5, the noise impacts from the sandblasting will be minimal due to the work occurring on the tower’s interior. You may hear noise from compressors, heaters and vacuums. Noise impacts from sandblasting will be limited to weekdays.
Work hours: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, with some weekend work
Project timeline: We do not anticipate service interruptions during these projects. Work at Water Tower 5 will occur from January and continue through May 2025. Work at Water Tower 6 will resume in spring 2025 and last about three weeks.
Northeast 137th Avenue Corridor Improvement Project
Project details: We are improving this roadway to current urban standards, including pedestrian and bicycle facilities. Enhancements include widening the existing vehicle travel lanes to keep one lane in each direction and adding a center turn lane north of Northeast 59th Street to Fourth Plain Boulevard. The finished project will also include sidewalks, bike/mobility paths, roundabouts, utility upgrades, street lighting, traffic signal modifications at Fourth Plain and landscaping along the new corridor.
Construction updates and traffic impacts:
June 2024 to April 2025: Northeast 137th Avenue, from NE 52nd Street to just south NE 61st Street, is closed during construction work in this area of the Burnt Bridge Creek. Access to Northeast 52nd Street will be maintained for vehicles coming from or going to Northeast 49th Street. This full closure is necessary for crews to safely remove unsuitable soils from underneath the roadway, stabilize the new street and construct a concrete culvert over the Burnt Bridge Creek. This closure will last for about 10 months, anticipated into April 2025. Businesses north of the closure are open.
April 2025: Northeast 137th Avenue, between Northeast 52nd and Northeast 61st streets, will change from a full closure to a closure with local access available in late April. During this time, construction will extend north to Northeast Fourth Plain Boulevard and south to Northeast 49th Street. Expect lane closures and possible temporary road closures. The south section between Northeast 49th Street and Northeast 52nd Street will be closed as crews construct the roundabout at Northeast 52nd Street.
Work hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Timeline: June 2024 through early 2026; the entire project is about 45% complete and is expected to finish in early 2026.
Southeast First Street Improvement Project
Project details: We are upgrading Southeast First Street, from Southeast 177th Avenue to 192nd Avenue, to an urban street system. Street improvements include pavement widening, sidewalks, curbs, bike facilities, streetlights, stormwater drainage, and street resurfacing, striping and signage.
Construction updates and traffic impacts:
May 2024 to summer 2025: East and westbound traffic on Southeast First Street will be closed throughout the entire project. Access to English Estate Winery and the commercial complex on the south corner of Southeast First Street and Southeast 192nd Avenue will be open. Construction will happen in four stages.
April 2025 update: Private utilities and public utilities, including water, wastewater (sewer) and stormwater, are complete. Work continues on retaining walls, curbs, sidewalks, bike lanes, street structure and electrical. Plantings and irrigation are coming soon. With some delays on this project, the completion and reopening are now anticipated for summer 2025.
Work hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Timeline: May 2024 to summer 2025
Fircrest Neighborhood Utility and Pavement Project
Project details: We continue progress to replace aging water and sewer lines in our community with work in the Fircrest neighborhood. Construction will occur along Northeast 112th Avenue, Northeast 9th Street, Northeast 16th Street and into the western portion of LeRoy Haagen Memorial Park.
This project has several components and will start with the water and sewer utility work. When the utility work is finished, pavement resurfacing is planned for NE 9th Street, from NE 112th Avenue to NE 127th Avenue. After paving, new street striping elements will be installed for NE 9th Street.
Work hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Timeline: NE 9th Street work anticipated for May through fall 2024; NE 112th Avenue work anticipated to begin in fall 2024 through early 2025
Installing new street elements: Crews have installed raised crosswalks and rebuilt speed tables between NE 112th Avenue and NE 127th Avenue in the Fircrest Neighborhood. New street striping elements have been installed on Northeast Ninth Street. Watch for new bicycle mobility lanes on both sides of the street. There were some reconfigurations to on-street parking. New parking was added to the north side of the street and some of the parking on the south side of the street was removed.
Blandford Basins Stormwater Project
Project details: The City of Vancouver was awarded a $3 million Washington Department of Ecology Water Quality grant to improve rain water (stormwater) runoff in the area known as the Blandford Basins, which lies within a wellhead protection area and the Columbia River watershed.
Currently, stormwater runoff from parcels and streets in this overall area flows untreated to the canyon along Blandford Drive and into the Columbia River. This project will use underground stormwater treatment devices and one rain garden at South Cliff Park in both the South Cliff and Dubois Park neighborhood to help treat runoff.
Water Quality Design Elements: Community members contributed feedback that led to adjustments in the final design. This water quality improvement project shifted to the use of filter cartridge catch basins that are underground treatment devices. They house rechargeable, media-filled cartridges that trap particulates and adsorb pollutants from stormwater runoff. The catch basins are generally maintained once a year which includes vacuuming out sediment and replacing the filter cartridge by City Operations crews.
A rain garden, or bioretention cell, was installed at South Cliff Park. Rain gardens manage rain water runoff by allowing it to soak into the ground where special soil and vegetation can help filter out pollutants. This infiltration improves the quality of the water which eventually flows to rivers and streams or seeps into groundwater. Attractive streetscape planters can be designed to accommodate the diverse traffic needs of cars, pedestrians and bicycles.
The new underground treatment devices and the one neighborhood rain garden capture stormwater runoff that used to flow untreated to the Blandford Drive stormwater drainage system.
Pavement restoration – street impacts during spring 2025: Final pavement restoration work is planned for April in the Dubois Park neighborhood. Work hours can extend from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Prepare for work along sections of Eureka Way and Palo Alto Drive. During this pavement work, street sections could be closed. Please also anticipate single-lane closures and some limited access.
This restoration work is expected to start during the week of April 7 and will take several weeks. Contractors will grind out the existing street surfaces along Eureka Way and Palo Alto Drive. These areas will then be paved when the weather is warm and dry to complete this stormwater project.
General project work hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Timeline: The new stormwater system elements were installed, with that part of the project wrapping up in late 2024. Final pavement work within the neighborhoods requires warmer weather conditions to complete; we anticipate this work in spring/summer of 2025.
Water Station 5 Project
Project details: This improvement project will help improve water flow and seismic stability for Water Station 5, located on 5.3 acres along the north side of East Mill Plain Boulevard and west of Devine Road, adjacent to Vancouver Fire Department’s Heights Fire Station No. 3, in the Heights District Planning Area. Vancouver Water Station 5’s 8-million gallon rectangular reservoir was constructed in 1942, and its booster pump station and 750,000-gallon elevated tower were constructed in 1954.
To improve this critical water station, the Utility will undertake an important project to eliminate seismic deficiencies that were highlighted in a 2015 study by replacing the existing 1940s reservoir with two 4-million gallon wire-wrapped concrete reservoirs and by replacing the pump station. In addition, the project will include electrical, instrumentation and security upgrades at Water Station 5. Frontage improvements will be installed along Mill Plain Boulevard and Idaho Street, consistent with the Heights District Redevelopment Plan.
Construction began in late November 2021, and work continues on this important long-planned Water Station 5 Improvement Project. All construction will occur within the Water Station 5 site. However, increased trucks and other activity to/from the site can be expected at times on East Mill Plain Boulevard and Idaho Street. Construction is anticipated to take multiple years.
Water Station 5’s 750,000-gallon elevated tower was seismically retrofit with structural upgrades in 2018 and will remain in service throughout this project.
Work hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Timeline: Several years, starting in November 2021