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.
Southeast 34th Street Safety and Mobility Project, from SE 162nd Avenue to SE 192nd Avenue
Construction will begin in early February as crews work on sidewalks, curbs and a retaining wall. This work will take about one month, and then crews will return with better weather to complete additional safety and mobility elements.
Traffic impacts: Watch for sidewalk and single-lane closures along the south side of SE Cascade Park Drive and SE 34th Street.
Work hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Project timeline: February to summer 2025
Jefferson Street/Kauffman Avenue Realignment Improvement Project
Starting in January, this project will build a new intersection at West 13th Street and Jefferson Street/Kauffman Avenue, including improvements along West 13th Street and Markle Avenue. Contractors will first remove the building on the southeast corner at 915 W. 13th Street. Project enhancements include rebuilding sidewalks, installing new bike lanes, improving lighting, building new ADA curb ramps and adding new markings for crosswalks.
Traffic impacts: Watch for street and sidewalk closures on 13th Street, Jefferson Street and Kauffman Avenue
Work hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, with some night work planned
Project timeline: January to November 2025
Main Street Promise: Improvement project from 5th Street to 15th Street
In early January 2025, construction began 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
Project timeline: January 2025 to spring 2027
Dubois Park Neighborhood Survey Work for Future Water Main Replacement Project
Watch for survey crews in the Dubois Park neighborhood as they gather information to help with designs for a future water main replacement project. Workers will wear personal protective equipment, such as reflective vests, so they can be easily identified as during survey work.
Traffic impacts: Stay alert to crews surveying the area. There could be minimal impacts to local traffic as crews work in this neighborhood.
Work hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Project timeline: December 2024 to February 2025
Northeast 22nd Avenue Storm Main Project, from Northeast 49th Street to 51st Street
Construction is expected to begin during the middle of November to complete repairs on an existing storm main along NE 22nd Avenue in the West Minnehaha neighborhood. As part of this work, contractor crews will remove and replace damaged sections of the existing storm main between NE 49th Street and NE 51st Street.
Traffic impacts: The section of street along NE 22nd Avenue from approximately NE 49th to NE 51st Street will be closed to through traffic during active construction hours. This temporary closure is necessary for crews to work safely in the street. Residents in this section will be allowed access to properties with crew guidance. Construction is expected to finish up in January 2025; final pavement restoration work is scheduled for spring of 2025 with more favorable weather.
Work hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Project timeline: November 2024 to January 2025
East Fourth Plain Boulevard Safety and Mobility Upgrades, F Street to Fort Vancouver Way
Work began in October 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.
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
Project timeline: October 2024 to winter/spring 2025
Sewer Interceptor Rehabilitation Project along East 5th Street and East 6th Street
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
Project 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
In early January, work will begin 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 begin in 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
Construction along Northeast 137th Avenue, from Northeast 49th Street to Northeast Fourth Plain Boulevard, is expected to get underway during the middle of June 2024. The coming work will upgrade the roadway to current urban standards.
Closure: Northeast 137th Avenue, from NE 52nd Street to just south NE 61st Street, will be closed during construction work in this area of the Burnt Bridge Creek starting in late June. Access to NE 52nd Street will be maintained for vehicles coming from or going to NE 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.
This corridor project will improve safety, increase mobility and enhance connectivity. Project completion, including street paving, is currently anticipated in early 2026.
Work hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Project timeline: June 2024 through early 2026
Southeast First Street Improvement Project
Construction is underway on this project to upgrade Southeast First Street, from Southeast 177th Avenue to 192nd Avenue, to an urban street system. Upgrades include pavement widening, sidewalks, curbs, bike facilities, streetlights, stormwater drainage, and street resurfacing, striping and signage.
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.
Work hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Project timeline: May 2024 through Spring 2025
Fircrest Neighborhood Utility and Pavement Project
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
Project 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 are coming to Northeast Ninth Street. Watch for new bicycle mobility lanes to be added to both sides of the street. There will be some reconfigurations to on-street parking. New parking will be added to the north side of the street and some of the parking on the south side of the street will be removed.
Blandford Basins Stormwater Project
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 has 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, will be 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.
When completed, these new underground treatment devices and the one neighborhood rain garden will capture stormwater runoff that currently flows untreated to the Blandford Drive stormwater drainage system.
Pavement restoration – street impacts: As favorable weather allows, crews continue to restore pavement in Southcliff and Dubois Park neighborhoods. Paving work hours can extend from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Prepare for paving work along sections of Umatilla Way, Willamette Drive, California Court, California Street and Dubois Drive. During this pavement work, street sections could be closed. Please also anticipate single-lane closures and some limited access. The slip lane between East Mill Plain Boulevard and MacArthur Boulevard will also be closed for pavement work. Watch for signs alerting travelers to these closures.
General project work hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Project 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 favorable weather conditions to complete; we anticipate this work in spring of 2025.
Water Station 5 Project
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
Project timeline: Several years, starting in November 2021