Crestline Construction crews were working on Webber Street on Friday morning, June 19. The street will reopen on Monday, June 22, after the new asphalt cures and hardens over this weekend. Photo by Joshuah Albert

The Dalles, Ore., June 19, 2026 — After months of closures, detours and construction-related disruptions, the end of recurring Webber Street closures are in sight.

“We’re getting to the end,” said Crestline Construction’s Jeff Pettenger on Friday morning. “Our guys put in some long hours to get this done. It is satisfying to see it coming to completion.”

If construction continues to progress as planned and no weather or unforeseen issues arise, Webber Street is expected to reopen permanently on Friday June 26 at 5 p.m. following final striping work. And work on First Street between Cherry Growers and Webber Street will also come to completion, minus a possible punch list of work orders from the city.

"It's been a long time coming," said Steve Kane, owner of Bargeway Pub, one of the businesses most affected by the closure of Webber Street and portions of West First Street.

Kane said the construction period created challenges for both customers and employees, with detours making it more difficult to reach the waterfront business and increasing travel times for staff. He chose not to bring back 10 seasonal employees back this year because lunchtime business had declined so sharply during the closure. He also chose to close the restaurant on Mondays and said he does not expect to resume Monday operations this summer due to reduced revenue in his prime season.

City leaders have maintained that construction disruptions will ultimately produce long-term gains. The upgraded sewer and stormwater systems are expected to improve reliability, increase capacity and help support future industrial and commercial growth along the waterfront.

One More Week of Work

Asphalt recently laid on Webber will cure over this weekend, June 20-21 and then open to traffic on Monday, June 22 at 6 a.m. and remain open through Friday, June 26 at 6 a.m.

Webber Street reopens to traffic on Monday Morning in the section between the two arrows above.

Work continues on West First Street

During that same time period, June 22-25, Crestline will close, pave and stripe First Street between the Cherry Growers and Webber Street. During that time, access to the Port from Union Street via West First Street will be closed.

Drivers will be unable to use West First Street beginning Monday morning as grinding, paving an striping occur between June 22 and June 25. The road will reopen on June 26 at 6 a.m.

Back to Webber

Webber will then again close on June 26 between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. to allow for striping.

Webber Street will again close for a single day for striping on Friday, June 26 at 6 a.m. and reopen at the end of the business day.

The city will then complete a final walk through of the entire project and create a list of final work orders that need to be completed.

The milestone marks a significant step forward in the City of The Dalles' Westside Interceptor project, which has required extensive excavation and sewer and storm line installation along one of the primary routes serving businesses in the Port of The Dalles industrial area.

Basalt Challenge

File photo - Crestline working on removing dense “blue basalt” in April on West First Street. Crews removed 12,000 yards of rock as they replaced sewer and storm drain.

Crestline has been hammering through very hard “blue basalt rock” for months to replace the sewer pipe with a new uniform 30 inch line and has upgraded all of the storm drain to 48 inch line, creating reliable utilities with additional capacity to deal with runoff and sewage.

The work proved far more challenging than many motorists realized while driving past the barricades. Dan Pettit of Crestline Construction said on Friday that crews encountered extensive layers of solid rock while excavating for the new utility line. The existing sewer sat approximately eight feet below the surface, while the replacement system required excavation to depths of roughly 12 feet. To create that additional capacity, crews removed an estimated 12,000 cubic yards of rock — enough material to fill approximately 1,200 dump truck loads. Much of the excavation involved drilling through what workers described as large sheets of basalt rather than loose material, significantly increasing the difficulty of the project.

Despite those challenges, Pettit said construction crews are pleased to see the project nearing completion, particularly because of the impact the closure has had on businesses along the corridor. He acknowledged that restricted access created hardships for business owners and customers alike and said crews understand how important the reopening will be for the area.

Change Order to Overtime

Council makes decision for change order to speed project in April.

The accelerated construction schedule was the result of a City Council decision made April 30 after business owners voiced concerns about the economic impact of the prolonged closure. Councilors unanimously approved a change order authorizing up to $118,000 in additional spending to move Crestline Construction from a five-day work week to a seven-day schedule. City officials estimated the accelerated construction plan could reduce the project timeline by as many as nine calendar days, helping restore access to Port businesses sooner than originally anticipated. If current progress continues and no significant delays arise, the project appears on track to meet or exceed that goal.

“Our completion date is the 26th of June," Pettenger said. “That change order required us to keep working through the last six weekends. Guys are working some 70 hour weeks for the last three months as we are rotating through..”

The Dalles City Manager Matthew Klebes was encouraged that Crestline was meeting the timelines.

“We’ve laid out the parameters and the project and timeline and Crestline is working to complete within those parameters that the council set,” Klebes said. “We’re excited it’s near completion and the access point (Webber Street) will be open for Fourth of July activities.”

Access Issues

The shifting traffic pattern reflects a strategy adopted by the city and contractor Crestline Construction as they flexed to maintain business access throughout the project. While both Webber Street and First Street have experienced closures during construction, officials have worked to ensure that at least one major route into the Port area remains available at all times. However, it became clear during the process that the public did not come to fully comprehend the different routes or were unwilling to make the detours as business fell off for some businesses in the Port of The Dalles.

Work did not come without some economic Pain

Pressure to accelerate the project intensified this spring after Port-area businesses began reporting significant economic impacts from the closure. During an April City Council meeting, Bargeway Pub owner Steve Kane and operations manager Nolan Hare told councilors their business had suffered a 60% decline in revenue since access restrictions were put in place. Kane warned that as many as 30 local jobs could be at risk if the closure continued for an extended period, while Hare argued that affected businesses were being forced to absorb the economic consequences of a public infrastructure project. Their testimony helped underscore the urgency of restoring access to the Port district and contributed to the council's subsequent decision to pursue an accelerated construction schedule.

Kane said on Friday he is hopeful the reopening of Webber Street will help restore customer traffic and allow waterfront businesses to begin recovering from months of disruption.

Construction Season far from over

Looking east on First Street where it intersection with Union Street - Ajax Northwest has a long way to go to bring the the streetscape vision into reality.

While the permanent reopening of Webber Street will mark the end of one of the most disruptive phases of the Westside Interceptor project, construction activity in The Dalles is far from over. As utility work wraps up on the west end of downtown, attention will increasingly shift east toward a pair of major downtown improvement projects already underway.

Ajax Northwest is currently constructing the First Street Streetscape Project between Union and Laughlin streets under a contract valued at approximately $4.07 million. The project includes new sidewalks, utility improvements, retaining walls, landscaping, lighting and pedestrian amenities designed to strengthen connections between downtown and the waterfront. Construction is expected to continue through much of 2026, with substantial completion anticipated late this year.

This couple stopped at the First Street Plaza today to look at what’s going to be constructed. They were excited to hear that a splash pad would be installed for children at the future public gathering spot in the heart of downtown.

The downtown improvements are part of a broader effort to revitalize The Dalles' historic core and strengthen connections between downtown and the Columbia River waterfront. Through the First Street Streetscape and Federal Street Plaza projects, city leaders hope to create more attractive public spaces, improve the pedestrian experience, support existing businesses and encourage new investment while providing gathering places for residents, visitors and tourists alike.

Ajax Northwest has also been awarded the Federal Street Plaza project, a centerpiece of the city's downtown revitalization efforts. In April, the City Council approved a $3.4 million construction contract for the plaza, which follows an earlier $619,212 design contract awarded to Walker Macy. The plaza, located between First and Second streets near City Hall, will feature landscaped gathering spaces, seating areas, event infrastructure and a water feature intended to create a new community destination and gateway between downtown and the Columbia River.

Federal Street Plaza as it looked today, Friday, June 19th.

City officials have targeted completion of the Federal Street Plaza project by approximately Halloween 2026.

As the long-running Webber Street closure comes to an end, residents and businesses can expect construction activity, traffic adjustments and public improvements to increasingly migrate toward downtown as work continues on both the streetscape and plaza projects through the remainder of the year.

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