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By Sierra Lauder, Director of Events and Downtown Development, Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce
Last week we had incredible support spreading the message about the setting of the girders on Tuesday, Feb. 6. Good news and bad news- everything went so smoothly and quickly that all of the girders were set and delivered prior to noon with minimal traffic back up during the morning and the bridge free and clear all afternoon. The bad news, you ask? I was unable to get any video footage to share with you.
The next sets of girders are slated for delivery on Monday (February 12th) and Tuesday (February 13th) with the same timeline originally expected – intermittent road closures between 8 am and 4 pm. Please double down on spreading the word again that bridge traffic will be highly impacted by girder delivery and crane work from 8-4 on Monday and Tuesday. We will all cross our fingers that things go as smoothly and quickly next week, but be ready for a longer window of delays.
If you’ve been driving through this week wondering what is happening between girder deliveries, you’ve likely noticed that crews are very busy in the area removing the crane pads and prepping for the next two deliveries. Monday will see the setting of the girders on the north side, and Tuesday the south side. Don’t worry- I have it on my calendar to get there with camera in hand.
Elsewhere on the project, sidewalk pours have been moving along on the southern half of the block between Third and Fourth, allowing for a shift in pedestrian traffic to begin excavation on the north end of the block between Homelife Furniture and Diamond Art Jewelers. This is important to note in the Valentine’s Day shopping rush- Diamond Art and So Chic are ready for you, despite the change in access. The north side of that block has a minimum of two rumored heating oil tanks, which contractors are set to deal with as quickly as possible. By next week, we will likely have a better idea of what condition those tanks are in and how they will be dealt with.
You may have noticed how quickly work has progressed on the north half of the block between Second and Third! Sidewalks will be back in place and functional there in the very near future, and soon crews will be looking to dive in to the last block on the east side, between First and Second. Meanwhile, the pouring of the radial concrete in front of the Pioneer Museum is waiting for weather windows, but should be happening late this week and early next week. Below the surface, electrical conduit work is happening all along Main in anticipation of new signals and streetlamps. The City of Tillamook’s Public Works Department has been coordinating water line upgrades and installation along the new bridge work. Throughout the project area, specialists of all types are putting together the pieces as we enter the final nine months of work.
Thank you for all of your efforts in sharing the word about the traffic delays on the bridge, and if you have any questions or happen to catch any great photos of the progress, feel free to email them to me or share them to the Tillamook Chamber Facebook page.
