City of Newport moves forward with the Yaquina Underbay Waterline Project

by Brian Bahouth

The Newport City Council voted unanimously to award the Underbay Waterline Project design/build contract to the Michels Team, made up of Michels Trenchless, Inc. and Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.

The Underbay Waterline Project is one of the eight priority projects in the South Beach/US 101 Refinement Plan. The current Yaquina Bay water pipeline is 12 inches in diameter and delivers water to the South Beach District. The existing pipe is made of ductile iron, which is not as seismically resilient as the 12-inch, high-density polyethylene piping that will be used in the new pipe. 

The Michels Team will ultimately drill under Yaquina Bay from McLean Point to a location on or near the Hatfield Marine Science Center, a distance of roughly 4,300 feet. The new pipeline will be connected to existing water lines on both sides of Yaquina Bay. 

The City of Newport initiated a two-step design-build approach on October 14, 2024, with the advertisement of a Request for Qualifications. Three companies responded, and two were short listed.  

On April 1, of this year, a Request for Proposals was issued to the shortlisted teams. Meetings and a site visit were held on April 9, and proposals were received on April 29. Representatives from the City of Newport’s Engineering, Public Works, and Community Development departments reviewed and scored the proposals. 

The City Council vote has authorized up to $1,500,000 for the preliminary phase of the project, which includes technical documents and construction planning detailed enough estimate a completion stage price. 

A nearly $560,000 FEMA grant accounts for part of the funding, a cause for concern for a few councilmembers, but according to Newport City staff, the Federal Office of Emergency Management told the City to move forward with the project until they hear otherwise.

The existing pipe will be left in place to operate as a redundant waterline until it’s no longer safe to operate. At that time the existing, pipe will be turned off and abandoned in‐place.