NW Reeder Road on Sauvie Island is now back open to two lanes, after a contractor performed temporary emergency repairs on two failed culverts. These repairs were expected to last until Friday afternoon, but crews were able to get all the work done in one day. The temporary stoplight that was in place for safety and traffic flow is now turned off and will be removed on Thursday. The repaired roadway is currently compacted gravel. County maintenance crews will monitor the condition of the road until asphalt work can be done. That paving work is scheduled for Tuesday, July 5. The lanes will be paved with single lane closures. Traffic will be able to get through at all times.
Background:
Last month, Multnomah County sent out an alert, encouraging visitors to practice patience and expect delays on Sauvie Island due to a culvert repair project on NW Reeder Road, near the Reeder Beach RV Park and Country Store.
That portion of Reeder Road was reduced to one lane for work on an overpass spanning two culverts. To manage the new traffic flow, crews installed a temporary stoplight.
Earlier this year two culverts under the road partially collapsed. Multnomah County made initial repairs to the sinkhole in January and February.
Follow-up work to continue the temporary repairs could not start until mid-July, because of what’s called an in-water work window. That’s a timetable set by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife that spells out when crews are allowed to work in Oregon waterways and not disrupt fish and wildlife. But due to overcrowding and safety concerns on the island last weekend, Multnomah County notified regulatory agencies of the need to perform these temporary emergency repairs outside of the in-water work window. Multnomah County does not anticipate doing any further repairs until the culverts are replaced in the summer of 2023.
For a look at the project, click to watch this public service announcement: /psa-reeder-road-culvert-replacement