Photo by Tim Hirsch

By TIM HIRSCH
of the Sun

Construction is slated to begin the week of Jan. 15-19 on a temporary one-lane fix for Sandlake Road, which was closed after it washed out following an early December storm. The one-lane stretch, which will be open alternately for north- and south-bound traffic, is expected to open around March 15.

Tillamook County Public Works Director Chris Laity, together with Nestucca Rural Fire Protection District Chief James Oeder shared the challenges of the closure and its ultimate repair on Jan. 5 at the Pacific City-Nestucca Valley Chamber of Commerce’s monthly meeting.

Laity clarified that this new slide, which is in between Thousand Trails campground and the main beach access for Tierra Del Mar, occurred just north of where a slide occurred in the 1990s.

Because of the complexity of repairs, Tillamook County is going to first proceed with fixing the road to the point that one lane can be opened. He said that because the crack created by the slide isn’t moving into the other lane, opening a lane on the east side of the road is possible with the appropriate repair measures.

Laity added that the process of shoring things up for this 225 feet of roadway so one lane can be open will involve trucking out about 1,000 cubic yards of material — or about 100 dump truck loads. Another part of securing the area will be to build a soil net wall, which involves inserting rods into the ground. The temporary one-lane byway will be complete once a concrete barrier is installed and signal lights are put in at either side so north- and south-bound traffic can take turns using the byway. Laity said the total cost of the short-term repair will be in the $500,000 to $600,000 range.

As for the emergency response issue for that area, Oeder said NRFPD has been granted permission to take a road through Nantucket Shores to bypass the closed road.

Laity said the eventual long-term fix is a bigger question and one that will take time. That’s because constructing a safe, two-lane road will not only require lots of planning and money, but will also need approval from several agencies — including Oregon Parks & Recreation Department.

“The short-term fix is completely in the county right-of-way, but just to the west is State Parks property. It’s going to require a Goal 18 exception (and numerous) permitting requirements. The slide is on the beach, and whatever we do will have some impact on the beach. (Once designs are advanced enough), the recommended solutions will go to agencies to see what we can do.” 

He said he didn’t have a timetable yet on how long this process will take.

“I’d be hanging on for a couple of years — that’s my guess,” he said.

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