The ‘Meet The Contractor’ event last Tuesday was a great launch point for the 33 million dollar Highway 101/6 Project with business owners taking the opportunity to rub elbows with the friendly folks from Oregon State Bridge Construction (OSBC) and ask some direct questions while grabbing a free Pelican Pub/Creamery Association rootbeer float at the same time.
One of the critical announcements at that event was OSBC’s unveiling of their two-year construction schedule, which is presented in a simplified form on the following pages for your review as to how it might affect your operations. Please remember that the dates are approximate and may change with circumstances. We will be receiving a three-week ‘look-ahead’ schedule at the regular construction meetings and will try to keep you posted on key changes as the project proceeds. Click here for Hwy 101/6 Schedule.
A much-discussed topic was maintenance of access to the businesses. It was highlighted that, throughout the project, sustaining two lanes of traffic on both Main and Pacific is a key goal. There may be temporary lane closures, but there will not be a bypass around the downtown. The couplets will flow, but, as noted on the schedule, parking on Main or Pacific may be removed for extended periods of time. Some side streets, such as Second Avenue where the new plaza is being built, may face extended closure while they are being reconstructed.
There is also a contractual requirement that ADA-compliant pedestrian routes be maintained through the downtown. The exact configurations of those routings remain to be determined, but, again, as such information is produced, we will strive to get the word out to you as soon as possible.
In summary the project schedule has been developed in response to commitments made to the City and business community. These include:
- Avoiding construction that impacts traffic in the downtown couplet area during the summer months.
- When working in the downtown area, the contractor is limited to replacing the sidewalk on one side of the roadway at a time within a city block.
- Access must be provided to one corner of a city block at all times.
- Access to business doorways must be maintained.
Another recent OSBC announcement was that nightwork will begin on Tuesday the 6th at the intersections of First Street with Main & Pacific. This will continue into the next week with intersection work on Third and Pacific. The nightwork is to prepare for the new signal light installations and may involve such noise-producing activities as concrete-cutting, drilling, and back-up beepers, in addition to bright lighting.