Willamette River Crossing Project
Project overview
To accommodate the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) long planned cleanup of the Portland Harbor Superfund Site, we plan to remove the existing power supply cables in the sediment of the Willamette River in Portland located between the Broadway and Fremont Bridges. To preserve power service and reliability to our customers, we will replace the old lines with a new group of lines. The new underground line will be approximately 2 miles long and will be located underneath the bed of the river. The new underground line will be placed inside two, 2-foot diameter, 3,000-foot-long tunnels to be drilled under the riverbed. The new lines will be installed and placed into service in advance of any existing line removal or EPA cleanup.
Background
The eastern portion of the existing Centennial Mills Cable Crossing power line is located in an area where sediments containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other contaminants are present. The EPA has identified this area for remediation as part of the River Mile 11 East (RM11E) Portland Harbor Superfund Site Project. In their January 2017 Record of Decision for Portland Harbor, EPA recommended that the area be dredged and/or capped. Unfortunately, neither one of these alternatives are feasible if the Centennial Mills Cable Crossing remains in place. To accommodate the requirements to remediate the RM11E Area in the Portland Harbor Superfund Site Record of Decision, and as directed by EPA in its comments on the RM11E Implementability Study Report, Pacific Power (A Division of PacifiCorp) has explored the feasibility of relocating the submarine cable crossing to allow sediments in proximity to the existing crossing to be dredged and/or capped. Pacific Power has identified the Willamette Crossing Project as the preferred alternative for providing uninterrupted electric service to the Albina network so that the Centennial Mills Cable Crossing can be removed from service as part of the RM11E remediation activities. Learn more about the Portland Harbor Superfund Site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Project update
Currently the project team is working on the detailed design and final permitting. The Horizontal Direction Drill (river crossing route) and the eastern and western onshore routes have been identified and final approvals are in process. Construction is currently underway in The Fields Park, along N. Dixon Street and other streets.
- Week of July 28
- Fields Park – Park restoration (pending city approvals)
- N. Dixon Street – Closure between N Ross and N Wheeler
- East side of river city streets – Splicing and electrical installation in vaults, railroad crossing installation, traffic control and partial closures on N Dixon, N Ross, N Albina, N Lewis and N River
- West side of river city streets – Splicing and electrical installation in vaults, traffic control and partial closures on Overton
- Week of August 4
- Fields Park – Park restoration (pending city approvals)
- N. Dixon Street – Partial closure between N Ross and N Wheeler
- East side of river city streets – Intermittent vault work, minimal traffic impacts
- West side of river city streets – Conductor installation on NW Pettygrove with closure
- Week of August 11
- Fields Park – Park restoration (pending city approvals)
- N. Dixon Street – Partial closure between N Ross and N Wheeler
- East side of river city streets – Intermittent vault work, minimal traffic impacts
- West side of river city streets – Conductor installation on NW Pettygrove with closure
- Week of August 18
- Fields Park – Park restoration (pending city approvals)
- N. Dixon Street – Partial closure between N Ross and N Wheeler
- East side of river city streets – No work planned
- West side of river city streets – Conductor installation on NW Pettygrove with closure
- Week of August 25
- Fields Park – Park restoration (pending city approvals)
- N. Dixon Street – Reopening closed areas
- East side of river city streets – Splicing and electrical installation in vaults, traffic control and partial closures on N Dixon N Ross, N Lewis, N River
- West side of river city streets – Splicing and electrical installation in vaults, traffic control and partial closures on NW Overton
Project timeline
Design, permitting & Right of Way – 2019 - 2024
Engineering & Equipment Procurement – 2022 - 2023
Construction
- Construction begins – Q4 2023
- River Crossing Underground Crossing – 2023 - 2025
- Including partial closure of The Fields Park
- Onshore West Side Construction – 2023 - 2026
- Onshore East Side Construction – 2023 - 2025
- Completion – Late 2026
Map
Project contact
Email PacificPowerConstruction@PacifiCorp.com and include the project name “River Crossing” in your inquiry.
Or, call 1-888-221-7070.