Eugene crews found sand and round rocks underneath Pearl Street, dating back to the 1940s when the road was first constructed.
Courtesy of City of Eugene Public Works
A surprise underground discovery has delayed some of the city of Eugene’s repaving work downtown.
Workers recently found sand and rocks dating from the 1940s underneath Pearl Street. The materials are from the original construction of the roadway and include round rock, which is no longer standard for road building.
“Pavement strength and things like that have changed over the years,” said Marion Suitor Barnes with Eugene Public Works. “So, obviously our needs for stability, and much heavier vehicles and things like that from when those were originally created has really dictated what the code looks like now for what kind of underlayment go under those surfaces.”
Barnes said round rock tends to shift easily, which can compromise the stability of the road.
“It will affect the timeline of the project, they’re now going to have to replace that underlayment which wasn’t originally part of the process,” she said. “So it will lengthen the timeline. Of course, again, it just contributes to the tangle that downtown is right now.”
Barnes said the good news is that once the work is done the roadway will be much smoother. And their stormwater budget will fund the extra repairs.
“Stormwater fees are in place for this type of infrastructure support, so that’s exactly what we’ll be using them for,” said Barnes.
Starting Monday, 11th Avenue will be closed until Friday between High Alley and Pearl Street. There will be a detour in place.
Then, starting April 29, Pearl Street will be closed for three weeks between Broadway and 10th Avenue. During the closure, southbound traffic will be rerouted to Willamette Street.
A list of current projects and weekly road construction updates is available on the city website.