The City of St. Helens detailed some of the upcoming construction projects that will be happening in the historic Riverfront District in the coming months in the March edition of the city’s waterfront newsletter.
The city said that the Cowlitz Street turnaround project near Columbia View Park is entering a “new phase” of construction that will begin Mar. 18. The construction will involve work to the southern wall of the Columbia View Park concrete viewing platform.
Due to construction, the following areas will be closed:
• The viewing platform
• The sidewalk along the south side of the park
• The adjacent street parking row immediately next to the upper viewing deck curb on Strand Street (the middle row of parking will remain open)
• Despite the project, Columbia View Park, the playground, splash pad, Riverfront Property walking path, and the center row of street parking will remain open during this phase of work.
To enter the park, visitors will need to go to the amphitheater stairs or from the Columbia County Courthouse lower parking lot.
“A portion of fencing along the riverbank next to the splash pad will be removed so that people can access the Riverfront Property walking path from inside the park. The path can also be accessed from the south end of Strand Street,” according to the newsletter.
If people have ADA accessibility concerns about Columbia View Park or the Riverfront Property walking path, the city requests they contact the St. Helens Engineering Division at [email protected].
Construction at St. Helens and South 1st Street
As part of the city’s Streets and Utilities Extension Project, Landis and Landis Construction, LLC was awarded a contract for underground utility work at the South 1st and St. Helens Street intersection.
The decision was made at the St. Helens City Council meeting on Mar. 6. The city does not have a construction start date yet but anticipates that work will begin “very soon.”
“Stay tuned for more information as we work with the contractor to approve traffic control plans. We anticipate being able to announce a construction start date for this intersection within the next week or two,” the city said in its newsletter.
Landis and Landis will be doing construction on the underground utility work at the South 1st and St. Helens Street intersection. This work will be the first of two major construction phases at the site. Landis and Landis will have until June 30 of this year “to substantially complete” their underground utility work.
Utility installation will be completed in sections, and different portions of the streets and sidewalks will be closed during each phase of work. The city will put in detours to ensure that vehicle traffic and pedestrians can still access the Riverfront District during construction.
Once the underground utility work at the intersection is completed, Moore Excavation, Inc., the city’s contractor for the Streets and Utilities Extension Project, will begin the second major phase of work. The second phase will include paving the intersection, pouring curbs and sidewalks, and installing light poles, benches, and other streetscape features.
This surface work will be done in multiple phases, and the city will put detours in place to allow continued access to the Riverfront District.
