Second Street in La Grande to close overnight for main line work

Second Street in La Grande closed at 7 a.m. Tuesday between Division Avenue and Blackhawk Trail Lane, and the shutdown was set to last overnight into Wednesday as crews worked on a new main line for the Union County Fairgrounds project.

The closure puts a key stretch near the fairgrounds off limits for at least two days of travel time, forcing drivers to plan around the work if they are heading toward nearby homes, the fairgrounds, or businesses in that part of town. The city notice said the road would remain closed overnight, turning what might have been a daytime delay into a 24-hour disruption for part of the week.

Residents and motorists who need more information can call Jered Huff at 541-962-1325. The city notice did not spell out every detour or access restriction, but the closure location on Second Street means anyone moving through the fairgrounds corridor should expect to use alternate routes and build in extra time.

The roadwork is tied to a much larger fairgrounds buildout that has been taking shape for years. Union County Fair updates said projects were anticipated to begin in February 2026 and continue through July 2026. The campground closed March 9 and remained closed until further notice, while the update said all buildings on the grounds would be affected except the Mt. Fanny Building and the Exhibit Hall. RV space availability was being handled day to day.

The project work includes updating restrooms, remodeling the kitchen and upgrading the Mt. Harris Building. County and fair officials have also described the fairgrounds as a resiliency hub and temporary evacuation shelter for emergencies such as wildfires and power outages, which makes the utility work more than a routine construction phase. The sewer and water upgrades are part of keeping the grounds usable for major events and emergency response alike.

The new main line also sits inside a long-running infrastructure effort that was shaped by cost, space and geography. In 2022, the sewer project was described as a two-phase plan that would use suspended sewer lines across the Second Street overpass to cross the Grande Ronde River. City minutes from May 4, 2022 said an intergovernmental agreement with Union County could allow the sewer line to be hung on the Second Street bridge while the bridge was shut down, a move described as saving the fairgrounds thousands of dollars.

La Grande City Council later approved using American Rescue Plan Act money for road work and fairgrounds infrastructure, and council members earmarked $250,000 as gap funding for the water and wastewater project. By June 2024, the project had raised $1.6 million and still needed $2.7 million to reach the $4.3 million total then cited. The route later shifted away from an under-river concept to an over-freeway path along the North 2nd Street bridge because of environmental concerns, limited space and the cost of building under the Grande Ronde River.