You Ask: What’s With the Half-Fixed Rough Ride on Spokane and Portland?

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If you’ve driven along Spokane Avenue near , or travelled Portland Avenue just east of Key Route Boulevard, chances are you’ve noticed the strangely raw road conditions.

Fresh asphalt patches smear the older roadway, making for a bumpy ride.

What’s more, the seemingly half-done roadwork has been around for months, causing several residents to what gives.

Does a budget-crunched city consider this repaving job done, one person ponders.

Yes, the city is budget-crunched, but no, the roadwork on the 600 and 700 blocks of Spokane, and on Portland from Masonic Avenue to Key Route isn’t finished, said , Albany's Public Works director.

In fact, it's pausing mid-major work. 

Here’s the deal:

The East Bay Municipal Utility District completed some much-needed water main replacement underneath these stretches of street a few weeks ago, explained Cunningham.

Sensing a money-saving possibility, the city asked the utility district if it might pitch in for the cost of eventual major street repaving, said Greg Jacobs, an engineering consultant to the city who oversees .

This allows the city to get under the roadways while they're still in construction-zone-mode for some much-needed sewer line replacements, then do a final repaving with help from East Bay MUD, Jacobs said.

The utility said sure, and the city is now seeking bids for the sewage work, hoping to seal the deal in late April, with all construction completed in summer. Meanwhile, it required East Bay MUD to put temporary asphalt patching on its holes.  

This is the same arrangement the city made with East Bay MUD for recent work on San Gabriel Avenue, Jacob said. The utility kicked in about $14,000 for that repaving.

“I’m not sure many citizens know the beauty of what we did,” Jacobs reflected.

The city has also invited PG&E to join the Spokane/Portland venture and take care of any underground gas line work on its to-do list.

No word back yet from the power company, Jacobs said, adding that it may never reply, but the city won’t wait.

“If we could get all underground utilities replaced before we pave the street, that would be ideal," he said. "But it doesn’t always work out that way."

The city has a five-year moratorium on work after a repaving job, unless it’s an emergency, he adds.

For drivers, Spokane/Portland road conditions will get worse again during the sewage work, before they get better, he warned.

The city is distributing a flier to residents explaining the situation. A copy is attached to this story as a PDF. 

Via the PDF: "If you notice any potholes forming around the temporary trenches, please call Public Works at 524-9543 to let us know, and we will repair them. For project information, please contact Greg Jacobs or Scott Jacobs, at 510-918-2322 or 510-417-0037."

If there's something in this article you think , or if something else is amiss, call editor Emilie Raguso at 510-459-8325 or email her at albany@patch.com.