North First Place in Hermiston is again open to traffic. The city of Hermiston on Dec. 5, 2023, announced the road's reopening following a project to replace aged water and sewer lines and lift stations, and fill in nearly 3,000 feet of missing sidewalk, among other improvements.

HERMISTION — The city of Hermiston Dec. 5 announced North First Place again is open to traffic. The project concluded the primary work on a major project improving the city’s transportation system and utilities between Hermiston Avenue and Elm Avenue.

The full project included demolishing and rebuilding North First Place, replacing aged water and sewer lines and lift stations, filling in nearly 3,000 feet of missing sidewalk, and adding a center turn-lane while clearly designating business driveways along the length of the project.

“This project was developed to take care of many needs at once, and we now have new road, sidewalk, water and sewer lines, and a lift station in place that will serve the city for decades to come,” according to Assistant City Manager Mark Morgan.

“It was a big lift, and we want to thank the community and businesses on North First Place in particular for their patience and understanding through the work.”

By completing the utility and road projects at the same, the city prevented future closures to the road and more efficiently address known utility replacement needs. The lift station upgrade replaced sewer lifts underneath Highway 395 and North First Place with new equipment adjacent to the road.

This road work was paid for through $4.5 million from the state of Oregon awarded to the city of Hermiston in 2017 and designated for use in 2023, with no local funding required.

The underground utility work, paid for by the water and sewer utilities, was able to realize significant cost-savings by completing the projects without the cost of restoring the roadway. Work on 10-foot-wide multi-use pathway on the east side of the road will continue into 2024.

The North First Place Roadway Improvement Project is part of the Capital Improvement Plan, a five-year infrastructure development plan that coordinates public works projects to reduce costs and impact on the public. All projects can be found on the city’s website at www.hermistonprojects.com.