The project crews continue to push six and seven days a week in an effort to keep the progress steaming forward. The buff-colored decorative concrete is set to be poured tomorrow between the dark ribbons and the terra-cotta accent pads that are already in place; the concrete quilt is coming together. The driller’s in town working the corner by the Wells Fargo Bank and moving up Pacific in order to ensure that all traffic signal foundations are set in the next two weeks. The bridgework assembly is clicking together in rapid production with a projected asphalt course being applied on the 22nd of this month. All this without any additional nightwork in the next couple of weeks.
In order for the contractors to position for the demolition of the east side sidewalks, the traffic will be flopped to the west side of the street next Monday, presuming that the weather materializes as forecast so that the restriping can be done. This will still leave some work to be done next week on the west side walkways between 2nd (Blue Moon) and 1st (Rodeo) but that will be handled by a temporary lane closure for that short-term work.
With the work swinging over to the other side of the street, the Chamber has requested that ODOT ensure open parking on the west side of Pacific. The parking bays are only six foot deep, but if the contractor can find enough slack that avoids the wheel ruts developing in the Pacific travel lane, the prospects are good for getting that parking back.
Recent schedule adjustments presented by the contractor show the west side of Pacific being completed by the original date of Memorial Day, however the east side of Pacific is now scheduled to be fully wrapped up by the end of June.
The extended sidewalk work on the east side will surely have an impact on the beginning of summer business, but hopefully, the completion of the plaza, and the west side of the street, and possible parking, this will allow for a vibrant tourist season. The final touch will be the paving crew looking at overlaying Pacific from 4th to 1st before the Fourth of July. That should put a fine finish on the roadway for the rest of the summer traffic.
Somewhere between all of this hubbub, we will celebrate. The Cork’n Brew is set for the first event on our new Plaza on June 16th followed by the June Dairy Festival activities on the 24th. We may have to be careful navigating the crowds through the bits of sidewalk construction as they move from the Farmers’ Market down 2nd to the Plaza and points beyond, but after this long haul, it will all seem worthwhile.
Our Highway Project E-news bulletin is created by Jeannell Wyntergreen, Highway 101/6 Project Liaison for the Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce. If you have any questions or would like to share a comment with the Chamber, contact her at hwyproject@tillamookchamber.org