by Sierra Lauder, Director of Events and Downtown Development
Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce
The summer construction season is wrapping up quickly, and we will be seeing some big changes on the ground throughout the Highway 101/6 project. Definitely expect night work- paving on Pacific is a priority, and this week we will be navigating single lane closures as paving begins, with a full detour in place Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night next week (8/28, 8/29 and 8/30). Pacific Ave. will be closed from Fourth Street north to First St. at night, and traffic will be detoured using Laurel and Fourth Street as alternatives to Pacific and Third.
The bioswales along Pacific will be drained, and, once all of the liners are down, the filtration pipe installed and the first layers of fill will be placed in the coming weeks. This should cut down on the standing water and make cleaning and maintenance simpler. A downtown cleanup effort is set for Friday, September 1st, from 9-noon. Organized by Tillamook High School Senior River Veek, this event is part of his larger Senior Project, in which he has mapped the downtown and recruited service organizations to adopt blocks during community clean up days. The debris build up in the bioswales has underscored how important these community cleanup efforts are.
Parking on Main Street will close on September 5th, immediately after Labor Day. Construction in that area is getting a jump start on the parking closure- crews will be tearing in to the underground vault on Third St just east of Main starting next Monday. Businesses intend to remain open and access to them is guaranteed by ODOT throughout the work on Main Street. This is a great time to check out the public parking lots along Ivy, as the reasons to visit the construction zone just increased by the release from Pacific Restaurant that they plan to open almost in tandem with the parking closure.
Bridgework will also get serious after Labor Day. The southbound bridge between Rosenberg Builders Supply and Front St will be closed, and traffic will be reconfigured over the new bridge to accommodate both north and southbound traffic. There have been many creative discussions about managing access to Rosenberg’s, and conversations continue. Pedestrian traffic through the area will also be challenging, and we are hoping the final pedestrian plan will be released early next week. Chief Wright continues to encourage people to be patient and vigilant as they navigate the area, whether on foot or behind the wheel.
Despite the stress and challenges that the coming months will bring, take heart in the fact that we are now essentially halfway through this project. The next few months will be especially tough as crews scramble to take advantage of the weather window and get a jump start on this next phase.
If you have any questions or concerns about the project or the next steps, feel free to contact us at the Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce, 503-842-7525. We are open at our new location at 208 Main St., right in the thick of all this, Monday through Friday 9-5.
