Public works presents $17 million season of projects, highlights Reservoir Drive and Well 9

Public Works Director Jessica McClanahan told the Redmond City Council that the city completed and advanced a range of infrastructure projects this season that together amount to about $17,000,000 in construction work.

McClanahan said the work spans streets, water, wastewater, stormwater and parks and cited the Reservoir Drive project, ADA sidewalk improvements, the annual stormwater maintenance program, Well 9, park court conversions and extensive street-preservation work as the largest efforts. “As you know, it's been a really busy season for construction and, we're really proud to showcase that work and also to really acknowledge, the community's patience,” she said.

Why it matters: the projects aim to maintain existing infrastructure, improve pedestrian and school-area safety and expand utility capacity. McClanahan said the Reservoir Drive western portion (Helmholtz to 40 Third) is open and included new sewer and water mains, sidewalks, stormwater facilities and roadway, and that construction is expected to resume in spring 2025 with completion in fall 2025. She gave the total listed project cost as $6,600,000 for Reservoir Drive and said the overall season delivered about $17 million in construction spending.

Details and notable items: McClanahan said the city’s ADA sidewalk project includes upgrades near John Tuck and Lynch elementary schools and downtown Fourth Street, and a rapid flashing beacon was installed at Evergreen and Fourth in response to resident safety concerns. The annual stormwater maintenance program was budgeted at roughly $800,000 and targets the most critical locations; staff are completing a set of about seven sites, including work on South Canal Boulevard.

On water infrastructure, McClanahan reported that Well 9 was drilled in spring 2024 to nearly 800 feet and that design and construction documents are being finalized with a goal to begin well-house construction in spring 2025; she said the well-house schedule is about an 18-month construction duration because of long-lead equipment and instrumentation.

Parks and recreation improvements included $165,000 for Sam Johnson/Valley View court conversions to add pickleball surfaces, and an approximately $500,000 Fairhaven Park project that will install new play equipment and fall surfacing similar to Quartz Park. Street preservation work this year included slurry and crack sealing (McClanahan said about 6 center-lane miles for slurry and more than 15 miles of crack sealing), chip seal done under an annual contract with Deschutes County (about 2 miles) and nearly 2 miles of overlay on higher-traffic corridors.

What councilors asked and next steps: councilors questioned timing and traffic impacts for phase 2 of Reservoir Drive, and McClanahan said staff will pause before phase 2 to complete additional quality checks and to refine design tie-ins, stormwater enhancements and utility work to reduce surprises during construction. She emphasized coordination with police on detours and traveler messaging.

The presentation closed with McClanahan thanking staff and the community for patience; no formal council action was taken on the broad update itself, though related contract items on the agenda were considered separately.