Northwest Sixth Avenue will undergo repairs soon

During the past few months, Northwest Sixth Avenue in Camas has become an obstacle course of potholes.

Rain, snow and ice this winter wreaked havoc on the road, which serves as a main arterial funneling traffic east and west between Highway 14 and downtown Camas. Potholes of all shapes and sizes formed when water seeped into cracks and froze, acting as a wedge and breaking the pavement apart.

Last night, the Camas City Council approved a $66,400 contract with low bidder Granite Construction of Vancouver to perform what Public Works Director Eric Levison describes as “grind and patch repair” work. It will fix 91 potholes equalling 14,000 square feet, located between Adams and Norwood streets.

“We really look at this as a Band-Aid until next year,” Levison said.

Northwest Sixth Avenue is at the top of the city’s list to receive a full asphalt overlay, but that major work will be delayed for now because water, storm and utility line upgrades need to take place there first.

“We want to make sure we replace the what’s underneath before we put the brand new [asphalt] on it,” Levison said.

That $1.75 million utility line upgrade project was submitted for consideration to the State Public Works Trust Fund, which provides low-interest loans to jurisdictions for public works and infrastructure needs. But state legislators left that program unfunded for the second year in a row.

“This is just another example of where we’re stuck now without the Public Works Trust Fund,” said Mayor Scott Higgins. “We have known projects that need attention, that we had a methodology for and a tool to use, and now for the second year in a row was not restored.”

Levison said the Sixth Avenue repair work will get underway as soon as possible.