Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Construction topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council hears update on First and St. Helens intersection; June 30 target set for major project completion
Summary
City staff said shutting the First and St. Helens intersection is the largest remaining phase of a multi-year downtown construction project and set a June 30 worst-case completion date; staff warned utilities coordination and unforeseen conditions remain the biggest schedule risks.
Public works staff told the St. Helens City Council on Feb. 19 that the planned closure of the First and St. Helens intersection will be the largest remaining phase of the city’s multi-year downtown construction project and that the city is targeting a June 30 completion date as a worst-case scenario.
Mohammed Zeller, the public works director, said the intersection shutdown will allow contractors to finish paving, striping and other remaining work and that, once complete, the project will move into final, smaller tasks. Zeller and staff said they had built contingency into the contract — roughly 10 percent — to absorb unexpected costs. Councilors were told a recent unforeseen issue required an unplanned contract amendment of roughly $60,000.
Councilors and staff discussed the primary schedule risks: coordination among utilities (Zeller noted multiple providers, including Comcast and Lumen, must sequence underground work), winter weather, and site-specific curveballs that have arisen during the two-and-a-half-year project. Staff said coordination with utility companies can add 30 to 60 days to sequencing when multiple providers must complete work in series.
Staff also addressed business concerns about construction crews occupying public parking near downtown storefronts. Zeller said public works is not the city’s parking-enforcement agency but that staff and the prime contractor routinely direct subcontractors who park in restricted areas to move. He said the city typically instructs contractors to avoid blocking two-hour public parking when possible and acts promptly on complaints.
The council discussed event timing tied to park completion — notably the city’s planned summer events and a recurring “13 Nights” series. Staff said June 30 was a conservative, worst-case endpoint and that they expected to be substantially complete earlier (April–May window suggested), but they asked event organizers to plan for contingencies if portions of the riverfront or park remain under construction.
No final votes were recorded in the work session on contract amendments or major schedule changes; staff said any contract amendments over the council’s authorization threshold will return for formal council action.
