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.
Well Drilling at Waterworks Park
Work is scheduled to start during August on new replacement wells at Water Station 1 to help meet our current and future water needs.
A drilling rig will be set up and stabilized in two Waterworks Park locations. A temporary fence will be put up to enclose the workspace for your safety. Drilling at each well site will take about a month, as crews work to drill a 300-foot hole and install pipe casing. After wells are installed, crews will extract groundwater for quality and quantity testing. This stage will take two weeks at each new location.
Noise Impacts: You might hear a consistent humming noise and periodic metallic clanking when the pipe casing is driven into the hole. During work, noise impacts will begin after 8 a.m.
Work hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Project timeline: August through November 2024
Northwest Franklin Street and Northwest 52nd Street Pedestrian Safety and Mobility Project
A pedestrian safety and mobility project is planned for Northwest Franklin Street and Northwest 52nd Street. The project will enhance the existing raised crosswalk on Franklin Street. Project improvements will also include additional lighting, striping and signage at this location. At the northeast corner of Franklin and 52nd Street, two new ADA-complaint curb ramps will be installed. Crews will also construct new curb and sidewalk.
Traffic Impacts and Closure: During construction, there will be impacts to travel in the work zone. Stay alert to lane shifts on Franklin to allow room for contractors to work safely. There will be a short closure on this street during work on the raised crosswalk. Watch for project signs and prepare for brief delays.
Work hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Project timeline: Late July through September 2024
Northeast 49th Street Pedestrian Safety and Mobility Project
A pedestrian safety and mobility project is planned for Northeast 49th Street, from Northeast 124th Court to Northeast 126th Avenue. Project work will occur on the north side of 49th Street. New ADA-complaint curb ramps will be installed. The project will also enhance pedestrian safety and overall mobility by adding a pedestrian pathway and bike lanes. Some improvements will be completed at several driveways on 49th Street, between 124th Court and 126th Avenue.
Traffic Impacts: During construction, there will be impacts to travel in the work zone. Stay alert to lane shifts along 49th Street in this area to allow room for contractors to work safely. Watch for project signs and flaggers; prepare for brief delays.
Work hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Project timeline: Late July through September 2024
Southeast Mill Plain Boulevard Stormwater Improvements
Starting in early July, work will begin on the installation of stormwater treatment filters, manholes and storm sewer pipe on Mill Plain Boulevard, between Southeast 139th and 164th avenues. The filters will collect runoff water from the street and treat the sediment before releasing it below the ground as we aim to help improve and keep our groundwater clean.
Traffic Impacts and Closure: There will be impacts and delays for traffic along SE Mill Plain Boulevard. Crews will install filtration systems mainly in or near the median along Mill Plain, working from west to east as the project progresses. Stay alert to daytime and overnight lane closures to allow for a safe work zone. The section of street along SE 148th Avenue, from Mill Plain to SE 5th Circle/Street, will be closed for the duration of the project. This closure is needed for staging of construction equipment during work along the busy Mill Plain corridor.
Work hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Project timeline: July through late November 2024
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
Fourth Plain Boulevard and Franklin Street New Traffic Signal
A new signalized intersection is coming to West Fourth Plain Boulevard and Franklin Street. The project will install new traffic signals in all four directions at the intersection. New ADA-compliant curb ramps and new crosswalks will be installed. Stormwater improvements, including new catch basin drains, are also part of this work.
Work hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Project timeline: Mid June through September 2024
Fourth Plain Boulevard and Stapleton Road Intersection Improvement
Intersection improvements are coming to Northeast Fourth Plain Boulevard and Northeast Stapleton Road. The intersection enhancements include upgrading the traffic signal and improving the current pavement striping. There won’t be any noticeable changes to the existing signal during work. Stay alert to single-lane closures and lane shifts to allow crews to safely work in the intersection. Watch for project signs and flaggers; prepare for brief delays.
Work hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Project timeline: Mid June through July 2024
SE First Street Improvement Project
Construction is underway on this project to upgrade SE First Street, from 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 SE 1st Street will be closed throughout the entire project. Access to English Estate Winery and the commercial complex on the south corner of SE 1st Street and SE 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 our progress to replace aging water and sewer lines in our community. Construction on our latest project will start soon in the Fircrest neighborhood. Work will occur along Northeast 112th Avenue, Northeast 9th Street, Northeast 16th Street and into the western portion of LeRoy Haagen Memorial Park. The project is expected to begin May 28.
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
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.
Work hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Project timeline: Anticipated for May through August 2024
Devine Road Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Project
Construction is mainly completed for pedestrian and bicycle enhancements along North Devine Road, between Idaho Street and the Burnt Bridge Creek Trail crossing. Crews replaced the existing path along the west side of Devine Road, from Idaho Street to the Burnt Bridge Creek trail, with a wider ADA-compliant, multi-use path for walkers and bike riders. One final utility pole will be removed, and then final panels of pervious sidewalk will be installed to fully complete the project.
Work hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Project timeline: Late 2022 though fall 2024
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