Project name: Salmon Creek Treatment Plant Phase 5A: Package 2 – Columbia River Effluent Pipeline

Location: Vancouver, Washington

Completion: November 2024

Cost: $20,017,343

Owner: Clark Regional Wastewater District

Engineer: Jacobs

General Contractor: Tapani Inc.

Submitting Company: Tapani Inc.

Subcontractors: A-Line Asphalt Maintenance, Abernathy, Able Fence, Advanced American Construction, Copper Mechanical, Glacier Drilling & Dewatering, Gonzales Boring and Tunneling, Grayling Engineers, HD Fowler, Industrial Inspection & Services, Karvonen Sand & Gravel, Longhorn Geomatics, North 40 Fencing, North Fork Landscape, Pauley, Tap Master, Tyeco Home Services

After years of strategic planning, Tapani has completed a major infrastructure project that will serve Clark County, Washington, residents for the next half-century.

The Phase 5A: Package 2 project at the Salmon Creek Treatment Plant involved installing approximately 6,000 feet of 48-inch effluent pipeline, creating a new treated wastewater outfall system with unique engineering challenges. This project was both significant and unique due to its complex route and engineering challenges. Unlike typical outfalls that simply discharge into water, this one had to navigate two fish-bearing rivers and pass beneath an active railroad.

The project included a bored crossing of the BNSF railroad, crossings of both Salmon Creek and Lake River, and connections to existing infrastructure. Tapani collaborated with Clark Regional Wastewater District (CRWWD) and engineers to redesign aspects of the project before construction began.

In a significant cost-saving measure, the team replaced the originally proposed steel pipe with high-density polyethylene (HDPE), saving CRWWD approximately $350,000 while reducing the project schedule by three weeks.

Safety remained paramount throughout construction, with all team members completing specialized marine training before work began. Advanced American Construction provided critical support by constructing a bridge capable of supporting heavy equipment, allowing access to otherwise unreachable areas.

The completed infrastructure will support long-term population and economic growth in Clark County while enhancing environmental protection of local waterways. By increasing wastewater management capacity, the system now accommodates projected growth for the next 50 years while ensuring compliance with environmental regulations.

The investment strengthened the community’s foundation for continued prosperity while preserving natural ecosystems for future generations.

“The Phase 5A/Package 2 project builds on decades of planning to ensure that the Discovery Clean Water Alliance could meet the region’s long-term wastewater treatment needs and continue to ensure public health, environmental quality, and the local area’s economic future growth,” Bob Sanguinetti, CRWWD district construction program manager, said in the Top Projects submission form.

This project did not have specific minority contracting goals or requirements. However, Tapani proactively sought opportunities to engage DBE, SBE and WBE firms, exceeding 12.5 percent utilization.

The successful Package 2 project follows Tapani’s earlier completion of Phase 5A: Package 1 at the same facility, continuing a multi-year improvement initiative for the region’s wastewater treatment capabilities.

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Project name: A Better Red

Location: Portland to Hillsboro

Size: 2,178,000 square feet

Cost: $215 million

Completion: September 2024

Owner/Developer: TriMet

Engineer: Parametrix

General Contractor: Stacy Witbeck

Other Consultants/Key Participants: Akana, David Evans & Associates, Emerio Design, Hatch, NNA Landscape, Perkins & Will, Shannon & Wilson

Submitting Company: Stacy Witbeck

Key Partnerships: City of Beaverton, City of Hillsboro, City of Portland, Federal Highway Administration, Occupational Safety & Health Administration, Oregon Department of Transportation, Pacific Power, Port of Portland, Portland International Airport, Union Pacific Railroad

Subcontractors: 1 Alliance Geomatics, 3 Diamond Construction, A2 Metals dba A2 Fabrication, Able Fence, ACMS Northwest, ADS System Safety Consulting, Advanced Railway Innovations, Affordable Electric, Alcantar and Associates, Aligned Engineering, Apply-A-Line, Armadillo Underground, Ascending Optics, Azuri Construction, B&G Excavating & Plumbing, Badger Daylighting, Bar-M Steel Commercial, Brothers Concrete Cutting, C&L Metal Sales, C.O.A.T. Flagging, C3M Power Systems, Cadman, CalPortland, Cannon Construction, Capital Industries, CBK Constructors, Champion Sweeping, City of Roses Disposal and Recycling, Clark Moore Trucking, Complete Fusion Welding, Concrete Technology, Custom Hole Drilling, Cutter Construction, Dan Jones Inc., DeWitt Construction, DirtLogic, Eagle Striping Services, Earth Dynamics, Espousal Strategies, Eugene William Construction, Faison Construction, Farwest Steel Reinforcing, Ferguson Waterworks, FM Burch and Associates, Gateway Trucking, Gulf Control, Harmer Steel, Herrera Environmental Consultants, Highway Specialized Transport, Holland LP, Iron Horse, J.H. Kelly, JL Storedahl & Sons, Jobsite Stud Welding, Knife River Corp.-NW, KT Contracting, LB Foster, Legend Custom Woodworking, Lemus Construction, Loram Maintenance of Way, LYB Trucking, Magnum Power, Maxim Crane, McDonald & Wetle, McDonald Excavating, McKinstry Essention, Metal Acoustic Commercial Kraft, Michels Foundations, Modern Railway Systems, MR Tree, National Precast, National Railroad Safety Services, Ness Campbell, Northwest Security and 91��Ƶ Services, Northwest Testing, Norton Corrosion Limited, OlsenBeal Associates, Omega Industries, O’Neill Construction Group, ORE Vac West, Oregon Door Consultants, Oregon On-Site Concrete, Orgo-Thermit, Pacific Foundation, Pandrol Industries, Paramount Security Solutions, PBS Engineering and Environmental, Pipeline Video Inspection, Platt Anchor Bolt, Polycorp, Portland Mechanical Contractors, Potelco, Povey & Associates Land Surveying, Pro Build Renovations, Progress Rail, PTS Surveying, PureSpace – A Biodynamic Company, Ralph’s Concrete Pumping, Redmond Heavy Hauling, Reinforced Earth, River City Environmental, S2 Imaging, Santiam Heating & Cooling, Schonert & Associates, Scougal Rubber, Shadow Guard Security, Sign Wizards, Statewide Rent-A-Fence of Oregon, Strongwell, Summit QM, Taurus Power and Controls, Team Electric, TFT Construction, The Fiber Guys, Utah Pacific Bridge & Steel, V. Van Dyke, VAK Construction Engineering Services, Valley Growers Nursery & Landscape, Vancouver Paving, Voestalpine Railway Systems Nortrak, Watson Bowman Acme

TriMet’s MAX Red Line Extension and Reliability Improvements Project, known as “A Better Red,” was completed on time and on budget despite the complexity of working on an active rail system.

The project, one of TriMet’s most ambitious in a decade, expanded the MAX Red light rail line to 10 additional stations and eliminated long-standing bottlenecks to improve system-wide reliability.

Stacy Witbeck served as the Construction Manager/General Contractor on the project, which was divided into three independently-managed segments. These included extending the MAX Red Line west into Hillsboro, constructing two new double-tracked sections between Portland International Airport and Gateway Transit Center, and building two new bridges and the Gateway North Station.

Successfully executing a project of this scale required close coordination between TriMet, Stacy Witbeck, and 127 subcontractors and suppliers. The project had a superb safety record: zero lost time incidents over nearly 470,000 hours worked.

Among the technical achievements was the construction of a steel girder bridge over Interstate 84 and Union Pacific Railroad tracks, requiring a rigorous five-step sequence for bridge deck placement. Engineers adhered to strict tolerances and camber specifications to ensure structural integrity.

For the Gateway Green Bridge, the team incorporated a precast concrete straddle bent cap to reduce construction time over active light rail tracks. This innovative approach minimized service disruptions and mitigated safety hazards associated with working near the energized overhead catenary system.

The project team exceeded Disadvantaged Business Enterprise and Certified Small Business participation goals, awarding $30.5 million in contracts to 57 certified firms: 23 percent of construction work and 21 percent of design work was performed by DBEs, surpassing original targets. In addition, Stacy Witbeck partnered with Portland Community College’s Construction Engineering Technology Program to engage students in real-world construction applications. A Better Red also served as a training ground for the next generation of skilled workers. As a certified training agent with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, IUOE Local 701 and AGC JATC, Stacy Witbeck ensured that apprentices played an active role in the project.

“The leadership, perseverance, and dedication demonstrated during this project were critical to its success,” said Sam Desue Jr., TriMet’s general manager, in the project nomination form. “… the project team brought this vision to life – expanding access, enhancing reliability, and strengthening our communities through transit.”

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Improvements to a key arterial in Tigard are in the works. A team is redesigning Southwest 72nd Avenue from Oregon Route 99W to Oregon Route 217, in the Tigard Triangle.

The current project will take the design to 30 percent completion for the north section of 72nd Avenue (from 99W to Dartmouth Street) and to 10 percent completion for the south section (from Dartmouth Street to 217). Kittelson & Associates was hired by the city through a qualifications-based solicitation to assist with the early design efforts.

The 72nd Avenue Corridor Study was completed in 2020, Tigard principal transportation planner Tiffany Gehrke said during Tuesday’s City Council meeting. From that study, the city redeveloped the basic concept of the project based on community members’ feedback. They asked for safe walking and biking options, protected bicycle lanes, and on-street parking.

During the planning phase a new roadway design concept was identified for 72nd Avenue to transform the busy road into a multimodal street. Proposed design elements include a sidewalk, a protected bicycle lane, a landscaping buffer, one travel lane in each direction with a center turn lane, and on-street parking on both sides of the street. Proposed intersection improvements include a protected intersection, pedestrian crossings, future transit stops, curb extensions, green bike lane extensions, high visibility crosswalks, and lighting.

Future transit service by TriMet is proposed along 72nd Avenue/Dartmouth Street. Future transit stops would be designed per TriMet standards.

New pedestrian crossing locations would include the future Red Rock Creek Trail, future Atlanta Street, between Baylor Street and Clinton Street, and Elmhurst Street.

The project team anticipates completing 30 percent design plans of the north section, which will cost around $25 million. The team in February applied for a federal Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant to cover the cost of that work. The team expects to hear back by the end of June on the possible grant award.

In the project’s next phase, design will be completed, and a contractor will be selected, according to Courtney Furman, principal engineer for the city of Tigard. Currently, construction is not funded in Tigard’s Capital Improvement Plan. The schedule for the next phase will depend on whether the city secures grant funding.

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A newly designed Terminal 2, Berth 7 facility is being constructed at the Port of Vancouver. The project will redevelop the port’s mineral bulk facility into a large export facility.

The mid-sized facility will be able to handle more than 3 million tons of soda ash on an annual basis once complete.

The project combines capabilities of the Vancouver Bulk Terminal, a joint venture between Nautilus International Holding Corp. and Neltume Ports, the Port of Vancouver USA and Solvay, a leader in soda ash.

Soda ash is used for purposes such as manufacturing glass and lithium-ion batteries. Natural soda ash coming to the port is an essential ingredient for toothpaste, baking soda and powder, detergents and other products.

The expanded capacity will support expansion of Solvay’s Green River, Wyoming, soda ash operations. The terminal will also add export capacity to the North American soda ash industry, which is recognized as the world’s fastest-growing natural soda ash producing region, according to a Port of Vancouver news release.

Alex Strogen, chief commercial officer at the Port of Vancouver USA, said the project is a combination of demolishing existing infrastructure and building new infrastructure.

The redeveloped facility will feature expanded storage space, upgraded rail unit train access and state-of-the-art cargo handling systems. It will include a new ship loader and a conveyer system.

Strogen said he imagines this will be the most modern soda ash facility in the world.

“It will have the most advanced dust mitigation on it,” Strogen said.

Johannes Viljoen, program manager of Vancouver Bulk Terminal, said the system is completely enclosed and has dust collection at every transfer point. The conveyor belts will be inside, so no wind will be able to sweep materials while being loaded. The material is being loaded through a specially designed chute that will bring materials down in a controlled fashion into the hull of the vessel.

Strogen said while there is a lot of uncertainty with global trade, it is refreshing to have this project that will send American products to the rest of the world.

The total project cost is estimated between $80-90 million.

The engineer of record is InterMat LLC of Metairie, Louisiana. Environmental consultant Anchor QEA collaborated with the project team on permitting.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held last week. Bids are currently out for a general contractor and one will be selected in July.

Construction is expected to begin in the late third quarter of this year and will continue through the third quarter of 2026. The new facility is expected to begin operations late next year.

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