Broken Pipe at N.E. Portland DMV

N.E. Portland DMV will reopen Monday

The Northeast Portland DMV field office will reopen Monday, April 30, now that repairs to the building are completed. DMV closed the office April 9 through 27 after water was discovered leaking underneath the building, located at 1836 N.E. 82nd Ave. A contractor installing a new card-key system discovered a pool of water underneath the north side of the building on April 4, office manager Dan Dlugonski said. The source of the water was traced to beneath the employee restrooms.
 
“We didn’t know the extent of the problem until Friday, April 6, when the decision was made to close the office,” Dlugonski said. “Northeast Portland staff members started working in other offices beginning Monday, April 9.”
 
The building owner promptly repaired the leak, sealed the building with a moisture barrier, replaced carpeting and sanitized surfaces.
 
“We’re not sure what caused the break,” Dlugonski said. “But there was a chunk of concrete from the old foundation that had fallen near the broken pipe. It’s possible that the concrete broke the pipe, but there’s no way to tell if or when that may have happened.” The previous building was destroyed by fire in 1989 and rebuilt by the owner.
 
The building was approved Friday, April 27, for reopening after the interior passed tests for the presence of mold and spores. The DMV office will resume its regular hours on Monday, April 30.