Six-year street, sewer, other plans set by Long Beach
Published 3:02 pm Sunday, July 26, 2026
LONG BEACH — City councilors earlier this month affirmed a list of tens of millions of dollars worth of planned or prospective infrastructure projects through the early 2030s.
The Long Beach City Council at its July 16 meeting approved a pair of resolutions updating its six-year capital facilities and transportation improvement plans. The state-mandated improvement plans for cities are updated annually, typically during the summer, with this most recent update covering 2026-31.
The capital facilities plan — covering the city’s wastewater collection system, lift stations and treatment plant, as well as its water treatment plant, storage and distribution systems — identifies 37 projects that carry an estimated combined cost of about $17.1 million. Another 34 projects costing $3.2 million were listed in the transportation plan.
Funding for some of the projects has already been lined up, while others are contingent on Long Beach securing state or federal financial support, such as through grants or low-interest loans.
One notable project Long Beach is seeking federal funding for is replacing 1,700 feet of sewer line in the northern end of the city, currently scheduled for 2028.
The project “would be an ideal candidate for federal money,” said Long Beach City Administrator David Glasson. “We have asked, let’s see what comes through.”
The project’s scope includes replacing the existing 10-inch pipe with 12-inch pipe along Oregon Avenue North from 17th Street NE to 12th Street NE, and also makes lift station improvements. The current pipe, Glasson said, was installed in the 1950s and wears out over time.
“On top of that, we have added customers that they didn’t have in the 1950s and will continue adding more into the future,” he added. “Upgrading that and the line from there to the main lift station [on 6th Street NE] is a priority.”
There are smaller improvements that need to be made to the city’s water system, but Glasson highlighted the importance of keeping up with needed maintenance. One such project is recoating both the interior and exterior walls of Reservoir 2, which was originally constructed in 2003.
The reservoir’s coating is anticipated to be reaching the end of its useful life and needs to be removed and replaced, with the work — tentatively scheduled for 2028 — carrying an estimated cost of just over $1 million. Potential non-city funding sources include low or no-interest loans through the Washington State Public Works Trust Fund or the Department of Health’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, as well as state Department of Ecology programs.
Glasson said he would also like for the city to continue upgrading water lines that are old and will soon be undersized, including the water line from 51st Place to Sid Snyder Drive along Ocean Beach Boulevard South.
Currently scheduled for 2029, the project — estimated at $1.6 million — would replace 2,400 linear feet of 2- and 6-inch water main with a new 12-inch PVC water main. Replacing the pipe, the city says, will reduce leakage along the water distribution system and improve fire flows in the area.