Water line replacement next step in $1 million street repair

SECOND STREET NEAR Penn Avenue remains closed as City of La Grande crews work to shore up hillside slippage. Crews currently are replacing a 400-foot length of water pipe. CHRIS BAXTER / The Observer

The City of La Grande’s rebuild of Second Street near Penn Avenue continues, with crews currently working to replace 400 feet of water line. 

The old pipe, installed in the 1920s, was weakened over the years as the hillside in the area began to slip. Late last year, the city began a three-phase project to shore up the slippage and make needed infrastructure repairs.

Phase 1, now complete, included construction of a retaining wall along Second Street. Phase 2, replacement of the pipeline, is expected to be complete in two or three weeks.

“The slippage actually put the old pipe at risk of breaking,” said Public Works Director Norm Paullus. Paullus said a temporary line was installed to provide water service while the work is under way. When the permanent line is in, it will be chlorinated before services are reconnected. 

Paullus said that the project’s third phase, to begin in the spring, is a reconstruction of the street and sidewalks. Also, the city plans to add landscaping features, including ivy on the retaining wall.

Paullus said the Second Street hill will remain closed until paving is complete.

The project has an estimated cost of $950,000 to $1 million. The majority of the cost is being paid with city utility fees. Federal Transportation Act funding is helping with street and sidewalk reconstruction.