HASSO HERING

Looking west on Water Avenue from under the Ellsworth Street Bridge on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024.

The west end of Albany’s Water Avenue has been reopened to traffic. But until it is repaved next year, it might be best to avoid the street.

A pavement cut filled with gravel runs the length of the three blocks of Water from the Lyon Street Bridge to Washington Street. That’s where a contractor for Pacific Power buried the conduit for the underground electric wiring required by the City of Albany’s Waterfront Project.

One of the next steps, presumably, is taking down the poles and overhead wiring.

The three blocks of Water are being turned into what the designers of the Waterfront Project call a “plaza street,” which looks different from an ordinary local street and can be closed for special events.

Because the city required the undergrounding there, Pacific Power will follow Oregon’s public utility rules and collect a surcharge on monthly electric bills from customers within the city. The surcharge will start after the project is complete and the Public Utility Commission has approved it.

The utility estimated the cost of the undergrounding at more than $2 million but said the exact amount won’t be known until the work is complete. Under an agreement approved by the city council, the surcharge will be in effect for two years.

Water Avenue is one of my bike routes across town. Unless there’s more development and construction on that part of the riverfront, it should be fun to ride there again by the end of 2025. (hh)