This page keeps you up-to-date on the progress of the project through monthly updates.
Every month we will take you inside the inner workings of our team - what we are up to,
who we have spoken to, progress made, and issues resolved. We will always be taking your
comments and questions.
Check back at the beginning of each month for a new update! (Click on the previous months to read past updates.)
ODOT is still hard at work on the environmental documentation process for the US 101/OR 6 project that would improve
mobility and safety and the intersections of US 101 and OR 6 in downtown Tillamook.
The project team still plans to publish the project’s Environmental Assessment and ask for your help in determining
how to move forward in early 2012. In the meantime, you’re invited to attend a briefing on the project’s progress.
Join us for a project briefing!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Oregon Department of Forestry (5005 3rd Street, Tillamook)
Highlights of the briefing will include:
- A review of the current project design
- An update on the project’s schedule and decision making process
- A chance to ask questions of project staff
If you have any questions about the project, please submit them now.
Thank you,
Bill Johnston
Tillamook stakeholders and other community members:
As you may already know, over the summer the US 101/OR 6 project team has been preparing an environmental assessment of
the proposed improvements to US 101 and OR 6. These improvements include a new segment of Pacific Avenue north of US 101,
a new four-lane bridge over the Hoquarten Slough for US 101, wider travel lanes on Main Avenue and Pacific Avenue between
1st Street and 3rd Street, and other changes to Main Avenue, Pacific Avenue, 1st Street and 3rd Street to help everyone
get around better. Click here to see an updated illustration of the proposed improvements.
The team has continued to study the impacts and benefits of the proposed project compared to the “do nothing”
alternative. Over the summer, much of the project team’s work has focused on understanding how the project might affect
the Hoquarten Interpretive Trail Park, and how construction would affect Sue H. Elmore Park. In both cases, the impacts
would be relatively minor with construction in Sue H. Elmore Park lasting less than six months. The project would
benefit the park by creating additional park land and a new parking area.
We’re still on schedule to share the environmental assessment with you in early 2012. Releasing the document will
trigger a public comment period. A decision will then be made on how to move forward. (See schedule below.) If the
project is advanced, the team will work closely with the community during the design process to refine certain design
details and minimize construction impacts.
I will keep you apprised as work continues. Thank you for your continued interest in this important project.
Please contact me if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Bill Johnston
Project Update
Tillamook stakeholders:
In February, ODOT endorsed the project team’s recommendation to continue to study only one design alternative, which would
extend Pacific Avenue north of 1st Street. The no-build or “do nothing” alternative will also continue to be evaluated.
In March, the project team worked closely with the City of Tillamook to consider designs options for parts of the project
that affect city streets. This includes a new road that would provide access to the Hoquarten Interpretive Trail Park parking
lot and Front Street just west of US 101.
The project team met with City staff and a representative of the Hoquarten Interpretive Trail Committee to discuss minor
changes to the existing trail. The team also met with officials from the Tillamook Fire Department to review the project
concept. They believe the proposed widening of travel lanes on Main and Pacific avenues will improve their ability to respond
to emergencies.
The Project Management Team and the Stakeholders Advisory Committee did not meet in March. However, ODOT staff met with
the County Commissioners and City Council to brief them on the status of the project.
In the months ahead, the project team will be primarily focused on preparing the environmental assessment (EA), which is
expected to be completed in late 2011. A public comment period and hearing will be held before a preferred alternative is
selected (i.e., either the build alternative currently being studied, or the no build alternative).
I will keep you apprised as work continues. Thank you for your continued interest in this important project.
Please contact me if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Bill Johnston
Project Update
Over the past few months, the project team has worked to refine the project designs to respond to community
concerns about the height of the proposed new bridge and the affects of the bridge on businesses nearby. The team was
able to design a bridge that would be closer in height to the existing bridge and would maintain accesses to businesses.
With the change in bridge design and additional turn lanes at the intersections of Main Avenue and 1st Street and Pacific
Avenue and 1st Street, the benefits of the design that would extend Pacific Avenue north of 1st Street outweighed the
benefits of the design that would maintain the existing terminus of Pacific Avenue at 1st Street.
The project team checked to be sure that others agreed with this assessment of the benefits of the design that would
extend Pacific Avenue north of 1st Street at a Project Management Team meeting, a Stakeholder Advisory Committee meeting
and an open house. Both the Project Management Team and the Stakeholder Advisory Committee unanimously endorsed this
recommendation.
At this point, the project team expects to study two alternatives in the environmental document: a no-build or “do nothing”
alternative and a build alternative
that would extend Pacific Avenue north of 1st Street and replace the US 101 bridge over the Hoquarten Slough with a new
four-lane bridge. The build alternative would also include wider travel lanes on Main and Pacific avenues from 1st Street
to 3rd Street that would be achieved by narrowing the sidewalks, and changes to 1st Street and 3rd Street to better
accommodate traffic.
Now that ODOT has confirmed which alternatives will be studied in the environmental document, the team is now working to
compare the benefits, impacts and costs of the build alternative – the alternative that would extend Pacific Avenue north
of 1st Street – to the no-build alternative. Work on the environmental document is expected to be completed in late 2011.
A public comment period and a public hearing will be held before a decision is made about the preferred alternative.
Thanks for your patience as we’ve refined our alternatives and revisited which designs should be studied in the
environmental assessment.
Sincerely,
Bill Johnston
As you know, we've continued to refine our project alternatives since we first began to study our two
designs in December 2009, based on community input throughout this enviromental study process.
Recently, we've been able to work through several important isses that came up. Particularly, we've
developed ways to address concerns about access to the businesses located near the existing bridge.
We've also worked out some of the traffic flow kinks that we were originally worried about with
the design that would extend Pacific Avenue north of 1st Street.
Throughout our refienement process what were two distinct alternatives with several major differences
are now substantially similar with only relatively minor differeneces in their design and tradeoffs.
One important similarilty in the two designs is that they now both include a new four-lane bridge over
the Hoquarten Slough that maintains access to businesses along U.S. 101.
At past open houses we've heard that community members prefer the design that extends Pacific Avenue
north of 1st Street. Now that these options are so similar, we'd like to ask community members to
weigh in on whether the project team should study only this design in the project's Environmental
Assessment.
Come weigh in on the discussion and view the refined alternatives at our upcoming open house
scheduled for Wednesday, February 2 from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm at the Oregon Department of Forestry(5005 3rd Street, Tillamook).
The project team continues to work on refining bridge designs for both alternatives.
Fifty people attended our open house in October, where we presented a lower bridge design for
Alternative 1. Alternative 1 would replace the existing U.S. 101 bridge with a new four-lane
bridge. Open house attendees expressed support for this lower bridge option as compared to the
original design for this alternative.
They also asked us to continue to refine the bridge design for Alternative 2. Alternative 2 would
extend Pacific Avenue north across the Hoquarten Slough.
Could this bridge also be constructed at a height more similar to the existing bridge? In
November the project team met with structural engineers, biologists and roadway designers to try
and answer the question. We hope to have more detailed information to share in January.
We’ve also been asked why traffic wouldn’t flow as well with Alternative 2 as compared to
Alternative 1. The problem spot has been the intersection of 1st Street and Pacific Avenue. We
asked our traffic engineers to think about ways to improve traffic movement through downtown
Tillamook with Alternative 2. The team will complete its analysis in December and expects to
share its findings with everyone in January.
We appreciate your willingness to continue to work with us to develop the best possible solution
to reduce traffic congestion and improve safety for everyone traveling in downtown Tillamook.
Have a safe and happy holiday season!
We made great strides in the last month with our work on refining Alternative 1: Replace US 101
Bridge. Now we are optimistic we may get a design deviation to build the new bridge within the
100-year flood elevation if the community supports this concept. This came about through our
conversations with stakeholders whose questions challenged some of our assumptions about the
design.
Originally we were working under the assumption that our partner regulatory agencies would not
allow us to build a new bridge within the 100-year flood elevation. Investigation by the project
team indicated that ODOT, not the other regulatory agencies, is the final authority on the height
of the bridge.
There are several reasons for not building a bridge within the 100-year flood elevation including
exposure to damage from debris and swift floodwater currents. For these reasons, ODOT
guidelines state we should build our bridges above the 100-year flood elevation. It turns out the
Hoquarton Slough site is unique. The slough does not experience swift currents or debris during
floods, and the highway north of the slough floods.
It seems, considering the facts, that ODOT would likely approve building the new bridge below
the 100-year flood elevation. This does significantly decrease the impacts to the surrounding
businesses.
Come view and discuss the refined alternatives at our upcoming open house scheduled for
Tuesday, October 5, 2010 from 5:00 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Tillamook 911 Center at 2311 3rd
Street in Tillamook.
Originally we planned an informal format similar to our previous open houses. After discussing
our plans for the open house with our Stakeholder Advisory Committee last week, we heard the
community would prefer more of a town hall setting with a community discussion. So, we
adjusted our open house plans to include a presentation with discussion and Q&A at 5:45 p.m.
Please feel free to drop in at any time and stay as long as you like.
Just because we were able to lower the bridge height for Alternative 1, does not mean
Alternative 2 becomes less viable. Both options are on the table for comparison along with a No-
build Alternative. We will not make decisions between the three alternatives until the end of the
Environmental Assessment process in spring 2011 after our public hearing and public comment
period.
Please join us for the open house.
Our technical team is starting to submit draft technical memoranda and the project team is getting ready for another open house this fall. The draft memoranda detail
all the data and analysis we collected and completed over the past couple months. The memoranda will become part of the environmental assessment document for everyone to review.
The project team received and will review draft technical memoranda on air quality, construction activities, geology, water resources, hazardous materials, visual resources and
land use as well as documentation of historic resources and a wetland delineation report. We are still working on our hydrological analysis and understanding the implications of
each build alternative on storm water and the flood plain and floodway. So, we still have technical work to do and more technical memoranda to complete.
The next open house is scheduled for Tuesday, October 5, 2010 from 5:00 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Tillamook 911 Center at 2311 3rd Street in Tillamook.
We will be sharing the most up-to-date alternative concepts at the open house. If you’ve been reading these updates each month, you know that we’ve refined the alternatives as
we’ve learned more about the impacts of each one. This open house will be your opportunity to review the refined concepts and ask questions of staff. The results of the environmental
work will not be available until early 2011.
We hope to see you at the upcoming open house, and will continue to keep you updated on our progress in the meantime.
Our project team continues field work and draft documentation for the Environmental Assessment. As we said in May, we
have to gather data and study the following areas:
- air quality
- archaeological and historic resources
- environmental justice
- fisheries
- floodplain and hydraulics
- geological resources
- hazardous materials
- land use
- noise
- parks and recreation areas
- right-of-way
- socioeconomics
- transportation
- utilities
- vegetation
- visual resources
- water resources
- wetlands
- wildlife
The field work is often technical, tedious, and takes time. Thank you for being patient while we gather data on these
topics and assess what the information means for the alternatives. No decisions have been made on either of the
alternatives since we last showed them to you in April.
We do have designs to share on access to the two parks adjacent to the existing bridge, the Sue H. Elmore Park on the
west and the Hoquarten Trail Interpretive Park to the east.
Alternative 1: Replaced U.S. 101 Bridge
-
Sue H. Elmore Park
access will reconstruct on-street parking, sidewalk and Front Street to ramp up from Ivy Street to U.S. 101. This
alternative also shows a retaining wall between the street and the park.
-
Hoquarten Trail Interpretive Park
access reconstructs the parking lot at the same elevation as the highway and provides ramps from the parking lot to
the trail.
Alternative 2: Pacific Ave. North Extension
We still expect to share our progress on the EA with the community through meetings and an open house late this summer
or early this fall. However, the Draft Environmental Assessment will not be finished at that time.
We don’t expect to publish the Draft Environmental Assessment until early 2011. We will hold the associated public
comment period for the draft document in early 2011 to gather input on how you’d like to see us move forward.
Lately we’ve been hearing concerns from members of the community that you won’t get another opportunity to provide
input on our work and we want to assure everyone that there are still plenty of opportunities coming up for you to
take a look at our work and tell us what you think.
Our project team continues field work and draft documentation for the environmental study areas. We conducted
archeological field work and reviewed structures over 50 years old in the project area and delineated wetlands
in the area in June. We will meet with the Tillamook Beautification Committee in July to discuss how the designs
have been developed to minimize impacts to the Hoquarten Trail Park and Sue H. Elmore Park.
We expect to share our progress and what we are studying with the community late this summer or early this fall.
We will also post information here.
We’re still headed towards publication of the project’s environmental assessment, the federally-required document
that compares the benefits, costs and impacts of the project alternatives to a no-build or “do nothing” alternative, in early 2011.
Once the environmental assessment is published, we’ll hold a public comment period and gather input on how you’d like
to see us move forward.
Our project team continues field work and draft documentation for the environmental study areas (archeology, historic
resources, noise, et cetera). The team also is working to refine some design details, particularly around the two
parks adjacent to the bridge, and will have designs to share in July. Please let us know if you have
questions or comments in the meantime.
Our first phase of study, which identified two alternatives for improving safety and reducing traffic congestion in
the project area, concluded in January 2010. Any project receiving federal funding must comply with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements to include environmental values in project decision making. The current
phase of study will prepare an environmental analysis of the project.
We will study
Alternative 1: Replace U.S. 101 Bridge,
Alternative 2: Extend Pacific North,
and a No-build alternative.
Right now, we have completed about 10% of the design for each build alternative, which will form the basis of the
environmental analysis.
Project Update
For the next several months, we will be performing technical and environmental analysis. We will gather data and
study the following areas:
- air quality
- archaeological and historic resources
- environmental justice
- fisheries
- floodplain and hydraulics
- geological resources
- hazardous materials
- land use
- noise
- parks and recreation areas
- right-of-way
- socioeconomics
- transportation
- utilities
- vegetation
- visual resources
- water resources
- wetlands
- wildlife
Upcoming
U.S. 101/OR 6 Alternatives Study Environmental Assessment Schedule
After we complete our analysis, we will get back out in the community this summer to discuss the results, which we
summarize in the Environmental Assessment document. Community members, agencies and jurisdictions will be able to
comment on the results during a 45-day comment period. We will collect comments through the project website, by mail
or e-mail, or in person at an open house and a public hearing. ODOT will provide notice of availability of the
document by e-mail, a mailer to Tillamook addresses and a notice in the Headlight Herald. If you receive a monthly
update by e-mail from ODOT, you will receive notice when the Environmental Assessment is ready for review.
After fully considering and evaluating the comments we receive, we will identify a preferred alternative. If the
preferred alternative is not the no-build alternative, we will start refining the preferred alternative design.
Look for opportunities to comment on the Environmental Assessment this summer and early fall.
Project Update
In late February, local officials requested we study an additional option in our forthcoming Environmental Assessment
(EA). You may have read about this in the paper or in our last monthly update. After reviewing this additional option
for fatal flaws and finding none, we agreed to study it.
This option is a variation of an option considered in our
alternatives evaluation process that extended Pacific Avenue
north over the Slough for northbound traffic. This version, unlike the one we studied earlier, maintains one-way
traffic on 1st Street and 3rd Street, rather than converting those streets to two-way traffic.
Key elements of the new Pacific North Extension alternative:
- A new bridge, extending Pacific Avenue north for northbound traffic only, located immediately adjacent to the
existing bridge.
- Maintenance of the existing bridge for southbound traffic, with bike lanes and sidewalks in addition to two
southbound travel lanes.
- Build the new bridge above the 100-year flood elevation, which makes it higher than the existing bridge. The
southbound and northbound lanes of U.S. 101 meet about 370 feet north of Hoquarten Slough. Construct a median barrier
within the portion of U.S. 101 where the northbound lanes would be higher than the southbound lanes.
The project team intends to dismiss an alternative and a bridge option from further consideration based on community
feedback and concerns:
- Dismiss the variant of the alterative replacing the U.S. 101 bridge with a new four-lane bridge that includes
two-way traffic on 1st Street from Main Avenue to Miller Avenue and on 3rd Street between Main Avenue and Pacific
Avenue. We continue to hear strong community opposition to removing the 70 -80 parking places on 1st Street and 3rd
Street constructing this variant requires.
- Dismiss the bridge option where Front Street would pass under U.S. 101. We heard strong community support for
maintaining the intersection of Front Street with U.S. 101.
This leaves three alternatives to be evaluated in the EA:
Upcoming
Our next step is to go out in early April and review the Pacific Extension North option with property owners most
directly impacted by it.
In mid- to late April we expect to brief City Council and local officials on the EA process as we move into that phase
of the project.
In early February, we met with Senator Betsy Johnson, Commissioner Mark Labhart, Mark Gervasi and
Don Hurd about the project. They requested we consider an additional option in the Environmental
Assessment along with the other two. This option would extend Pacific Avenue northbound through the
existing Mar Clair Inn property and run parallel to U.S. 101, north over the Hoquarten Slough.
However, we have not explored this option much beyond marker lines on a map.
Today, our team of engineers met and reviewed the suggested option for fatal flaws. A fatal flaw is
an aspect of an alternative that makes it un-buildable or not feasible. In this case, an example of
a fatal flaw is if we cannot provide access to the Hoquarten Slough Trail, something we must do under
federal law.
Upcoming
By April, we should be able to provide more information about the feasibility of this third option and
outline what our next steps will be.
We hosted several meetings over the last two months and received a lot of great information from the
community about the two bridge options. To everyone who attended, e-mailed us comments, or gave us a
call, thank you so much, your input helps us make better-informed decisions.
Special Update
At one of the meetings, we heard concerns about local businesses’ ability to compete for state
contracts. At ODOT, we are committed to helping Oregon’s small business community overcome barriers
to participating in the state’s extensive public contracting procurement programs.
Contact Jerry Hoffman at (503) 986-3016 or e-mail him at gerald.hoffman@odot.state.or.us for more
information about available assistance.
Project Status
We heard a lot at the meetings. Some of the most helpful input came from someone who told us
Hoquarten Slough does not see a lot of debris during floods. He asked if we could lower the bridge
height on the
second bridge design concept
because of the lack of debris.
If you recall from our first update, one of the reasons we designed the bridge so high was so debris
wouldn’t damage it during a flood. We talked to our local bridge crew and they confirmed the
information from the meeting. During floods, they don’t see a lot of debris in Hoquarten Slough
either. Our hydraulics engineer analyzed the issue and concluded we don’t need the additional two
feet of clearance for debris on the second bridge design concept.
This means the concept that maintains Front Street’s connection with U.S. 101 will only need to be
about five feet higher than the existing bridge, rather than the seven feet we originally thought.
It does not mean we can build a new bridge at the existing bridge’s height. The new bridge still must
meet the design requirements to accommodate anticipated floods and protect the bridge’s lifespan.
Upcoming
For all proposed projects receiving federal funding or federal permitting, we must assess the effects
of the project on the natural and human environment. This study comprises the next stage of the project
and happens through a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Environmental Assessment (EA).
Work on the environmental study began in January. Nearly complete, the U.S. 101/ OR 6 Alternatives
Study recommended two alternatives, including two new bridge options for further analysis in the
environmental study. The environmental study will also look at what would happen if we did not
construct anything, which we call the no-build alternative.
We expect the environmental study to take about 2 years. You will want to look for the Environmental
Assessment document, available in late 2010 or early 2011, for public review. The document will
summarize the impacts and benefits of constructing one of the alternatives compared to a no-build, or
do nothing, alternative. The summary will cover a wide range of topics, everything from impacts to
wetlands, to impacts to businesses.
Once the document is available, you will have 45 days to review it and provide ODOT with comments. We
will accept comments by e-mail, mail or at a public hearing.
The project team will then evaluate and respond to comments and revise the document to capture anything
we missed or anything that changed. The project team will then select a preferred alternative. Once the
revised document is completed, ODOT will receive a decision from the Federal Highway Administration.
That decision is based on the assessment of impacts. If there are no significant environmental impacts
and the decision is to construct the project, Federal Highway Administration will give the team
permission to move forward with developing a final design and constructing it.
Remember, we won’t make a decision until the completion of the environmental study process. We will
provide many opportunities for input before we make decisions. We are very early in the environmental
study at this point. For more information on transportation decision-making take a look at Federal
Highway Administration’s online guide here, information about environmental studies begins on page 21.
Project Status
On Dec. 15, we talked with Front Street property owners and downtown business owners about bridge
options for Hoquarten Slough. We heard concerns about the overall project, lost parking, access to the
highway, the impact of construction on stores, and new structures making flooding worse. We also heard
concerns about heavy volumes of traffic through Tillamook in the summer, especially large trucks and
motor homes.
It’s our goal to minimize impacts to businesses while addressing congestion on U.S. 101 and OR 6 in a
way that does not make flooding worse. We want the outcome of our project to improve Tillamook for the
community and anyone who travels through the area.
We will present your feedback from our
December 15, 2009 meetings
to the Stakeholder Advisory Committee on
January 13, 2010. Then, we will discuss the options with the community at an
open house on January 27, 2010.
Our current options are the following:
• New Bridge Alternative 1 - about 12 feet higher than existing bridge, underpass for Front Street;
• New Bridge Alternative 2 - about seven feet higher than existing bridge, maintains Front Street’s
connection with U.S. 101, raises Front Street seven feet beginning at Ivy Street.
We just began looking at the lower bridge option in October 2009 and we will continue to develop the
design more fully as the project progresses. However, here is what we know so far. If we don’t build
a new bridge, the intersection of 1st Street and Main will not work in the future. Traffic won’t be
able to go north on U.S. 101 and will back up in downtown. This blocks other intersections, creating
gridlock and delaying travel.
If we do build a new bridge, it must be above the
100-year flood plain elevation.
Which means we have to change how Front Street and some driveways intersect with U.S. 101. We know that these changes will
impact businesses and property owners. However, the intersection will work well and traffic will get
around and through Tillamook for years to come.
We’ll discuss these options and any more concerns you may have at the next Open House – please plan to
attend! We know these won’t be easy decisions; however, we need your continued input to identify the
best option.
Upcoming Meetings
Stakeholder Advisory Committee Meeting
5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 13
Oregon Department of Forestry, Conference Room
5005 3rd Street, Tillamook
Open House
5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 27
Tillamook Library
1716 3rd Street, Tillamook
What's New?
Based on our discussions with the community and our technical analysis we will recommend an
alternative(s) to study in more detail. That closer look happens in a National Enviromental Policy Act
(NEPA) Enviromental Assessment process required by federal law.
The National Enviromental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements create better informed decision-making and
ensure citizens are involved in the decision process. You can find more information about the National
Enviromental Policy Act (NEPA) online in the
Citizen's Guide.
For all projects that receive federal funding or federal permitting, we must assess the effects of the
project on the natural and human enviroment. We will use the assessment to aid in selecting the least
damaging practicable option (alternative) for downtown Tillamook.
Get to know us and the work we are doing!
Staff from Tillamook County, the City of Tillamook, and ODOT make up the U.S. 101/OR 6
Alternatives Study project team. We are working together on transportation issues in downtown
Tillamook and we are hearing your requests for regular project updates.
If you would like to receive a monthly e-mail with an update on the work we are doing, sign up using
the comment form. Please encourage friends or neighbors
to sign up to recieve these updates too.
Project Status
Over the past year we’ve narrowed a wide range of options to two alternatives for further study:
- Alternative 1 - One way traffic on 1st and 3rd Streets, a new four lane bridge across Hoquarten Slough and wider
lanes on Main and Pacific (previously called Alternative C1).
- Alternative 2 - Two way traffic on 1st Street, a new four lane bridge across Hoquarten Slough and wider lanes on
Main and Pacific (previously called Alternative C4).
We recognize both options have serious trade-offs related to costs, business access, congestion
relief, construction issues and how well the project fits with the community. Alternative 1 removes
less parking, however, Alternative 2 will improve traffic flow more over the next 20 years. Both
alternatives are an improvement over building nothing which we expect would result in severe congestion
and safety problems over the next 20 years.
We continue to discuss both options. We are learning more about the benefits and drawbacks through our
conversations with the community and through technical analysis. We don’t always agree on everything,
which is a good thing because it helps us have more meaningful discussions and make better informed
decisions. We all are committed to a final decision that will be the right one for Tillamook and
Oregon.
Upcoming
Since August, we‘ve been developing bridge ideas for Hoquarten Slough. The new bridge will be higher
than the existing bridge because the existing bridge is below the 100 year flood elevation. The new
bridge must be constructed above the 100 year flood elevation, so:
- the bridge doesn’t displace flood water; and
- the flood water can’t push debris up against the bridge and damage it.
Building a bridge above the flood elevation will change U.S. 101‘s height at Front Street. The change
in bridge height would affect the U.S. 101/Front Street intersection and business access. Based on
discussions with property owners, we have developed two bridge design options, one is 12 feet higher
than the existing bridge and one is 7 feet higher. The lower bridge option maintains the intersection
of U.S. 101 and Front Street, although it would be higher than the existing intersection. The higher
bridge option would create an undercrossing of U.S. 101 for Front Street to provide access to the
trail parking lot and the motel.
On Tuesday, December 15, we will talk with Front Street property owners and downtown business owners
about bridge options and trade-offs. We will host an open house in January to continue the same
discussion with the broader Tillamook community.
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