TILLAMOOK—A major traffic change on the U.S. 101/OR 6 Traffic Improvement Project is planned following Labor Day. Northbound and southbound U.S. 101 traffic will be routed on to the new Hoquarton Slough Bridge while the old bridge is demolished and work begins on the west half of the new bridge.
The bridge will be closed to pedestrian access until mid-October while the west half is being built. However, ODOT has teamed with the Tillamook County Transit District to provide a free shuttle for pedestrians needing to cross the bridge. Although the sidewalk on the new portion of the bridge is complete, it is not possible to build a safe and ADA accessible connection that sidewalk until later in the project.
The closure will begin after Labor Day with southbound U.S. 101 traffic is re-routed onto the new bridge, and is expected to remain in place until mid-October. During the closure, the bridge will remain open to traffic with one travel lane in each direction.
Pedestrians heading north can catch the shuttle at the bus stop just east of the Tillamook Post Office (2200 1st Street). Pedestrians heading south can catch the shuttle just north of Rosenberg Builders Supply (2 Main Ave). The shuttle will be available from approximately 7:30 a.m. until approximately 6:30 p.m. Outside of those hours, pedestrians can call 503-457-7009 to be picked up at the locations listed above. This service will remain in effect until the ADA accessible connection is completed on the east side of U.S. 101.
Also this fall, Main Avenue (US 101 southbound) will be widened and sidewalks will be replaced between 1st and 4th Street. The contractor will begin by replacing sidewalks on the east side of the street, working one block at a time from south to north. The sidewalks will then be replaced on the west side of the street. While work is underway on Main Avenue, on-street parking between 1st and 4th Streets will be unavailable or limited, and 3rd Street may be reduced to one lane between Main and Pacific Avenues.
In addition, sidewalks on the south side of 1st Street will also be rebuilt, and the new crosstown connections shared-use path will be built between Hoquarton and Goodspeed Park.
Travelers will continue to see intermittent lane closures and detours throughout the project area, though at least one through-lane will be available at all times.
The project is on schedule to be completed in the fall of 2018.
