Pavement is down and lights are in as the Union County Fairgrounds renovation nears completion
By Garrett Christensen on Wednesday, July 8th, 2026 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
LA GRANDE – Summer is well and truly here, and the 2026 Union County Fair is only a few weeks away. The Union County Fairgrounds itself is nearing completion of its long-anticipated overhaul. When the grounds reopen to the public later this summer, guests will get to enjoy newly paved paths, state-of-the-art facilities for vendors and RVs and, of course, shiny new bathrooms.
For those unfamiliar with the project. Union County had long been seeking state support to fund the construction of a new, modern, water and septic system that would connect the fairgrounds to the City of La Grande’s system. During the 2025 legislative session, House Bill 5006 and Senate Bill 5531 provided $2,539,405 in lottery bond funding toward the project, which will be fully allocated in 2027. Ground was officially broken on the project on November 14, 2025, with construction currently nearing completion.
According to comments from one of the crew of Mike Becker Construction, along with Union County Commissioner Matt Scarfo, the fairgrounds were at risk of closing prior to the start of this overhaul. In addition to the long-failed plumbing, electrical systems were also starting to show their age, with several utilities poles becoming a safety hazard.
As of this week, the fairgrounds have undergone what could be the most striking visual change since ground was first broken. Pavement has been laid over most of the former dirt walkways in the center of the grounds, as well as the ADA/handicapped parking spaces at the side entrance. Brand new light poles have gone in, and all electrical wiring has been moved underground along with the new plumbing.
During Elkhorn Media Group’s most recent tour of the grounds, crews were hard at work building one of several outdoor bathroom facilities. Between the new outdoor bathrooms and the previously completed interior ones, around 30 stalls will be available for fair attendees going forward, putting an end to the reliance on porta potties.
Residents may have also noticed that the North 2nd Street overpass is currently closed. This is part of the Fairgrounds Wastewater Project, as crews will be running water and septic lines along the overpass to connect the fairgrounds to the city of La Grande. In addition to the closure, one lane at a time beneath the overpass on I-84 will be closed as crews work along the structure. No other traffic disruptions on I-84 are expected.
According to ODOT, the shifting single lane closure on I-84 will last through July 15. Elkhorn Media Group is working to get information on the overpass closure itself from La Grande Public Works. In the meantime, residents needing to cross to the fairgrounds side of I-84 will need to take an alternative route.
The work on the overpass does signal the near completion of the project, however, as the grounds will soon be connected to the City of La Grande’s water and sewer system. According to Union County Commissioner Matt Scarfo, crews could charge the lines as early as next week.
