By Sierra Lauder, Director of Events and Downtown Development, Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce
Big changes are on the horizon, starting next week (April 2nd) with flagging at night as the new signals on Pacific go live. Crews from ODOT, Tillamook PUD, Oregon State Bridge, and O’Neill Electric will be working together to get the new signals running and the old and temporary poles removed. The flagging is expected to start at 7pm and run for a full shift (most of the night) Monday through Thursday evening, wrapping up by early Friday morning.
The weather this week has not been as accommodating as predicted, which has delayed the pouring of the curb and gutter, ADA ramps, and final stretch of stamped sidewalk on Main (between Second and First). Things are looking up the last half of this week and in to next week, however, and everything is still on track to wrap up and shift traffic before mid-April.
The curing of the large bridge deck pour has completed, and the beginning of this week has included the removal of all of the fabric, plastic and blankets that helped cover the area during the curing period. There has also been a significant amount of forming being constructed for the sidewalk and overlook area, including the setting of the bridge anchor bolts for the three light poles that will be placed on the bridge. As the weather clears again, more concrete pouring will be taking place and we will see those features begin to take real shape.
The large heating oil tank discovered in the big bioswale on the northeast corner of First and Pacific (next to the Post Office) is clearly visible to drivers passing through the intersection. Final ground testing results are still in progress, and as soon as results are in, excavation of that swale will continue. All fingers are crossed that it will wrap up early next week, as the contractor that does the bioswale lining is scheduled to be on site next Thursday, when the bio-swales on the east side of Main (both north of the bridge and downtown) will be lined. If possible, that large swale will be lined during the same trip.
Next week is anticipated to be the final push to complete the west side Main sidewalk work downtown, and then early the following week should see paving and refreshed striping, as well as the big shift of traffic over to the east side, allowing work to commence on the west side with a target date of April 10th. Stay tuned next week for those details.
The summary today: be mindful of flaggers and nightwork beginning Monday night April 2nd, continuing through next Thursday.
Several folks have commented on the new pedestrian signals at the junction of Third and Main, and expressed concern or frustration that those signals are negatively effecting the timing of the lights and traffic flow. The pedestrian signals are not connected to the timing of the lights- the push buttons do not change the timing of the lights. The only change is the addition of the pedestrian signals, which indicate when crossing is safe or not allowed. The intersections are now open for pedestrian traffic and there are currently no pedestrian detours downtown.
For more FAQ’s about our project, including conceptual drawings that help visualize the project in its entirety, you can check out the ODOT page: www.TillamookTraffic.org