The city of Portland has stopped Oregon Health & Science University from constructing a tunnel at its developing South Waterfront campus because it did not have the necessary permits.

A cadre of city managers overseeing building inspections and code enforcement met March 18 with Rebecca Esau, the Bureau of Development Services director, to discuss what to do about the unpermitted construction.

Officials decided to issue a “stop work order” that halted OHSU’s building.

Darryl Godsby, the official overseeing city building code inspectors, told The Oregonian/OregonLive his crews observed workers had drilled into the ground and poured concrete where a subterranean pedestrian tunnel is to connect OHSU buildings.

The university was in the process of getting the permit approved but it wasn’t finalized, Godsby said. The plan approval process exists to ensure buildings are constructed to meet safety and design specifications, he said.

Godsby said city inspectors faced no pushback when they told OHSU contractors to halt their work.

“We just said, ‘Hey, someone’s getting ahead of the game here,’” he said.

University spokesman Erik Robinson said the project is to extend Southwest Meade Street to Southwest Bond Avenue between the Knight Cancer Research Building and the Robertson Life Sciences Building.

Robinson said the university is working with the city to “attain the permit and continue the work as planned.”

-- Gordon R. Friedman

Jeff Manning of The Oregonian/OregonLive contributed reporting.