Work begins in early June
The City of Pendleton will oversee a full repaving of North Main Street this summer. The project will grind and overlay North Main from the Umatilla River bridge to just past the intersection with Northwest Furnish Avenue.
Built in the early 1900s, this portion of North Main has been patched and repaired many times over the past century. Because these repairs used different technologies and materials, sections of the road have deteriorated at different rates, leading to a rough and uneven surface. In particular, some utility repairs used “Jellum rock asphalt,” a material that breaks down when exposed to weather.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements mandate updates to pedestrian crossings when a roadway is repaved or reconstructed, so the project will include the removal and reconstruction of ADA ramps on street corners and sidewalks. Community Development Director Tim Simons said the North Main project will begin with the ADA ramp work.
“This part of the project is being driven by Federal requirements, where street corners and other crossings are required to be brought up minimum Federal ADA standards if a street is being repaved or reconstructed,” Simons said. “We are unsure of the required timeline needed to complete the ADA ramps, but we would guess that it would be at least a couple weeks or more. Hopefully, the contractor can provide us a preliminary schedule sometime next week for the rest of the project.”
Typically, a rebuild of a historic road would be done with a full reconstruction; however, officials believe the roadway was constructed directly on top of bedrock, which would be expensive to break through to build the subgrade necessary for a full reconstruction. Instead, staff has chosen to grind and overlay the 66-foot-wide roadway. The project includes leveling to create a smooth roadway, with at least 2 inches of new asphalt across the entire width of the street and up to 4 inches in some areas.
In April, the Pendleton City Council awarded the project to Interstate Concrete & Asphalt Company, of Pendleton, the responsive low bidder, for $348,388.
Contractors are expected to begin ADA ramp construction and other preparatory work in the first week of June. Motorists should expect temporary lane restrictions and delays during construction. Additional traffic control information will be released as the contractor's schedule becomes available.
Project updates will be posted on the City’s project website under Pendleton Projects – North Main Street Overlay.
- May 29, 2026