Oregon City Officials To Close Two Lanes On Highway 99E For Waterline Project

OREGON CITY, OR — About half a mile of Highway 99E in Oregon City's downtown area will be restricted to two lanes in either direction beginning the morning of June 12.

The closure will likely last about two weeks, city officials said, allowing contractors time to replace an existing 10-inch vertical exposed waterline — which will also require the removal of the hillside rock fall protection mesh so crews can evaluate the rock face for loose rocks and potentially dangerous, shifting boulders — in order to ensure the city's ability to provide water to the downtown area.

The two Highway 99E lanes will be closed 24 hours per day, while work on the bluff and along McLoughlin Promenade will be limited from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Construction crews have been allotted 12 days to complete the work.

Lanes will be closed from just south of South Second Street to just south of the Arch Bridge, officials said. Work will be performed in the northbound lanes of Highway 99E, north of Tumwater Drive and south of the rail crossing at Main Street — just shy of half a mile.

Travel on Highway 99E will be affected during this time, officials said, adding that the use of the McLoughlin Promenade may also be affected.

To mitigate those potential impacts, city officials are coordinating with Clackamas County officials to complete construction — and open the road closure — on South End Road before closing lanes on Highway 99E.

The southbound lane of South End Road between Fifth Avenue and Barker Avenue has been closed for pavement repairs since April, with work dictated by weather conditions throughout the construction period.

For more information on the Highway 99E Bluff Waterline Replacement Project, call Public Works Director John Lewis at 503-496-1545.

Photo Courtesy: City of Oregon City