La Grande warns of 2nd Street closures as water main work continues

La Grande warned residents to expect more closures along 2nd Street as water main replacement continued, keeping one of the city’s key corridors tied up for drivers, nearby businesses and anyone trying to move between Penn Avenue and K Avenue. The latest notice meant more than a traffic annoyance: it signaled that utility work was still reshaping daily travel in the heart of Union County’s county seat.

The project has been part of a longer rebuild of the 2nd Street corridor. In 2023, La Grande Public Works said the work involved replacing an aging 18-inch steel water main under 2nd Street between Penn Avenue and K Avenue, then rebuilding the street with a new base, asphalt and repaving after excavation and other utility work. That phase was described as a continuation of the earlier reconstruction stretch from Adams Avenue to Spring Avenue, which had been completed in August 2021.

The disruption has already reached nearby side streets. In May 2023, N Avenue was closed for two days so crews could replace water main across the 2nd Street project, with traffic detoured to K Avenue. Later that month, the intersection of Second Street and K Avenue closed so workers could tie the new 18-inch main into the existing line. That closure was expected to last through the rest of Monday and reopen late Tuesday after chlorination and testing.

Troy Roberts of the La Grande Public Works Department was identified as the city source overseeing the work. The department itself plays a central role in the city’s infrastructure, with six divisions and 30 full-time employees handling Engineering, Motor Pool, Streets, Water, Wastewater Collection and Wastewater Treatment. The city also says its water system meets EPA and state health requirements, and its water-service-line inventory has found no lead service lines in the distribution system.

For residents, the latest 2nd Street warning pointed to more staged work ahead rather than a single overnight repair. That means planning around detours, slower crossings and possible access changes near the corridor as La Grande keeps working through a project aimed at replacing old pipe and keeping the city’s water system reliable.