We need a bypass

http://seasidesignal.com/articles/2008/04/03/news/local_news/doc47f55cbd58948967909822.txt

Traffic is bad enough during off season, with RV'rs driving 20mph on our windy but 50mph roads without pulling over. I have seen traffic backed up for miles just because of one elderly driver. It makes locals a bit batty especially when visitors don't follow the rules of the road. Word to the unwise, if you want to go under the speed limit, pull over. Secondly, consider get ting some extra driver training in order to handle the big rigs.

For those that have to drive into work everyday, it isn't just the rush hour that is difficult here, it is all times of day from 9am-9pm. Getting around Seaside is a bit easier than others as they have a fairly well set up infrastructure, so locals can hit Holladay, Columbia or Wahanna and miss most of the holiday traffic, if they are careful. Seaside put those plans into effect 50 years ago.
On April 3, 1958, the Seaside city planning commission presented ideas to the city council regarding traffic problems downtown. There was no estimate of cost on the completed program, but the city had been saving money! They eventually worked it out and did form new streets from Ave A to Ave G and from First-5th ave. Likewise today the city council members and citizens know what needs to be done, and know it will cost a lot, but since it is governed by the state their hands are tied. And are tied up into using fistfuls of cash for projects they would put on the back burner if they could.

Their main proposal in 1958 was that each section of new road "will form part of a traffic loop, to connect with Holladay Drive and with the proposed highway by-pass and designed to draw traffic out of the heart of the Broadway business district, and to serve that district by offering a perimeter traffic facility. Another object would be to open up traffic flow into the areas included in the loops, which are largely given over to tourist accommodations." http://seasidesignal.com/articles/2008/04/03/news/local_news/doc47f55dda35a45816149384.txt So yes even 50 years ago there was a need for a bypass.

Today, traveling HWY 101 can be tedious at best. Many locals are looking to move simply because they can't MOVE. The locals with the most time on the road see this as the biggest problem with their jobs. Ones feeling the impact the most are delivery trucks, from Fex Ex and UPS, to those delivering beer and bread, to those moving logs, and hauling fuel.

My husband drives the double long tanker trucks. It is good he has a four on four off schedule or he may not have lasted this long (over 15 years). He drives from Astoria to Portland to load from the loading docks there, storage tanks that have the fuel from the Pipeline and delivered via ships. He then heads into Portland, up into Washington, or to the Coast. He delivers often to Seaside, Warrenton and Astoria. He leaves at the first sign of morning, meaning just after 1am. But by the time he is getting a second load the roads are so packed on the coast he barely can move. The tourists go slow, and people pull out in front of him with little room for him to stop.

Good and Bad weather play into it, and each have their difficulties. The main problem though isn't the weather it is the people on the roads. In the good weather there are more tourists, thus more drivers who don't know where they are going, and possibly don't know how to really drive and maneuver their rigs. In the bad weather there are more accidents. During the last ice storm my husband saw over 15 accidents in one day!

Astoria was built on pilings, and it is seeing the effect of having tankers and log trucks traverse its streets at 20mph. They tear up the road, and everything slows down. Having a HWY through the middle of town was poor planning, but who knew Astoria and Seaside at their conception would be so attractive. Now there is barely any room to maneuver in Astoria, even in the off-season, with narrow one way streets, limited parking, and delivery vans or Emergency vehicles parked right in the road. Where else is it a good idea to park on a highway? And of course this gets even worse during tourist season, and Sunday Market or other events held in the city.

ODOT is no help. Their rules and regulations and allocation of funds are not helpful to the residents of the NW coast. Right now they have funds already allocated to special projects. One of the most recent debacle was the resurfacing of HWY 101 near Gearhart. It was a total mess, it eliminated 4 lanes in most places, where it should have added lanes. It is now down to two lanes most of the way with three lanes in a limited area, so small you can't get around the infernal RV's that won't concede space to those working, or on their way to and from work. $$ was spent on this project, and the road surface was actually better before the work was done.

The Department of Transportation is not good at listening to locals, who have wanted and begged for a bypass for many years. Not all the towns agreed at first, but all of Clatsop County is now aching for a bypass. But do to their pre-allocation of funds to items that are less necessary for the success of our county transportation wise, we are left without enough to build a bi-pass. Granted eliminating these special projects still might not allow enough to build a bi-pass, but it would be a good start, and if we put off other projects in our area for a couple years we would have enough.

All residents want a successful county. A bypass would not eliminate tourist activity. In fact it might even bring more, as they would be able to get around easier. Bypass would however make life so much easier for drivers, from long haul to tanker and delivery drivers. Not only would the drivers and their families be willing to stay in the area, and come home more relaxed, goods and services would get from point of origin to delivery much swifter. This would save everyone money, resulting in lower prices for common and necessary goods, from bread to gasoline. It also would improve air quality standards in general as vehicles would be on the road much less than they are now. Instead of it taking an hour to get from Seaside to Astoria in the heat of summer it would only take 15-20minutes.