Work begins to replace sewer line on NW Despain

Work begins to replace sewer line on NW Despain

Project will pause during Pendleton Round-Up

Pendleton, Ore. — Work started this week on a project to install a new sanitary sewer line along Northwest Despain Avenue. The work will take place in two phases to accommodate increased traffic during the Pendleton Round-Up.

On Monday, Aug. 29, Pendleton Public Works crews started installing a new sanitary sewer line along Northwest Despain Avenue from North Main Street to Northwest Ninth Street. The original sewer line is an old clay line that is damaged and severely deteriorating.

The sewer project this year in Northwest Despain Avenue will be done in two phases. The first phase is planned to be done between North Main Street and Northwest Fourth Street. The pipe in this section will be placed and backfilled with gravel, with the intent to have it fully patched with asphalt before Round-Up begins on September 14. The second portion of the project will begin after Round-Up and will continue from Northwest Fourth Street to Northwest Ninth Street. The second phase is scheduled to fully be patched by early to mid-October.

The work this year will only be on the sewer line, but this replacement will prepare for a proposed street reconstruction project on a portion of Northwest Despain Avenue next year. That project would include widening the road by moving curbs and reconstructing the roadway asphalt and gravel base.  The full street reconstruction and could happen in 2023, if budget dollars are available.