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By Sierra Lauder, Director of Events and Downtown Development, Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce
This week the big action news is the transition of demolition on First St from in front of the Pioneer Museum westward to the block in front of the Rodeo. Right now, traffic directly in front of the Rodeo is two lanes eastbound to access northbound Pacific and go across the bridge- we will see the lane closest to the sidewalk in front of the Rodeo close for the demolition process and traffic from southbound Main and eastbound First St. will have one lane to utilize for the left hand turn on to Pacific headed north. In summary, this should not cause much disruption to the traffic pattern as we have come to know it.
What you are not seeing this week is any more excavation on Main St. When accessing the large vault in front of Sunflower Flats in preparation to start the dig, contractors discovered a large amount of private property debris which was not present during the original inspection. The debris will need to be removed prior to reinforcing the vault and filling it with lightweight concrete. Rather than start the excavation and expose the vault to flooding potential, the contractors are on hold while ODOT and the property owners come to an arrangement about removing the debris. Hopefully this will be resolved quickly and we will see that vault work wrap up quickly so Main St. work can get going.
From a pedestrian perspective, sidewalks continue to be a top priority for crews. They are moving as quickly as possible to get the route over the bridge completed. Some final spots along the east side of Pacific, combined with signage attempting to explain the pedestrian detour to avoid the bridge have given the misconception that access to the Pioneer Museum is not open. This is not the case! Please do not be dissuaded from visiting the museum, using either the south entrance on Second or the ADA ramp which starts on Second and wraps around the building to First. Museum staff has worked hard to keep the ADA ramp clear, and invites the public to join them this fall during regular hours, Tuesday through Sunday 10-4. A quick reminder that Tillamook Transportation District continues to provide the shuttle (or Dial-A-Ride after hours) free of charge to pedestrians who need to cross the bridge during this time.
You may have also noted the striping of the crosswalks along Pacific varies depending on the intersection. Fun Fact! The parallel line style that is painted at the intersections of Third and First across Pacific are the standard style used at signalized intersections. The style that is painted at Second and Pacific, which may remind you of the cover of Abbey Road, is called the “continental style” of crosswalk striping, and is used at non-signalized intersections.
While I very much wish I could sign off with a reference to the album by saying: “Here Comes the Sun,” I will have to settle for asking you all to continue to “Come Together.” Every week I am more impressed with our community’s efforts to weather this construction gracefully, and if there are any questions you have, please feel free to reach out to us at the Chamber and we will do our best to track down answers for you.
