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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 2015)
10A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2015 Bridge: Work is part of a $16.7 million rehabilitation project Continued from Page 1A Torres, a spokesman for the Oregon Department of Trans- portation. “Then of course the structural steel on the bridge itself was eroded.” Work through August Oregon Bridge Con- struction, the Stayton-based contractor on the project, could have reopened the bridge Aug. 1, but would have needed five additional one-week closures to fin- ish the project. Instead, the contractor decided to work through August and have the bridge completely fin- ished by Sept. 4. “This really made sense since the closure has been already in place and the public has adjusted to it,” Dave True, the Department of Transportation’s project manager, said. “It is good news because we will be completely finished with the Lewis and Clark River Bridge by Labor Day and there will be no more com- plete closures of the bridge.” Part of larger project The bridge work is part of a $16.7 million rehabil- itation project that includes work on the Old Youngs Bay Bridge. Crews are re- pairing and replacing the electrical and mechanical systems of the Old Youngs Bay Bridge, which are from the 1920s. Most of the work on the Old Youngs Bay Bridge is being done during the daytime with flaggers con- trolling a single lane of traffic. The bridge will not be completely closed. The overall project is scheduled to be completed in November 2017. Greenway: Development pressure not as high Continued from Page 1A Unlike the two previous phases — Civic Greenway, from 16th Street to 41st Street; and Bridge Vista, from Port- way Street to Second Street — Neighborhood Greenway does not face obvious residential and commercial development pres- sure. Greater restrictions The land along the river in Alderbrook is zoned for aquatic conservation, so development over the water is generally re- stricted to docks, piers and ma- rinas. Most of the residents at the meeting Thursday night ap- peared to favor even greater re- strictions, such as limiting new development to no higher than the riverbank. On land, much of the neighborhood is zoned resi- dential, which mostly allows single-family and two-family homes with minimum commer- cial — such as day care centers — under certain conditions. “Leave Alderbook alone,” said Rae Goforth, a community volunteer who lives in Union- town but is fond of the neigh- borhood. Working riverfront The Riverfront Vision Plan’s goals for Neighborhood Green- way include emphasizing the re- gion’s natural features and beau- ty, minimizing the impact of foot traf¿c on the neighborhood, and encouraging maritime uses that maintain a historic connec- tion to a working riverfront. Alderbrook was once home to a lumber mill, net lofts and “Because we can’t com- pletely close the bridge, like we did with the Lewis and Clark Bridge, it takes longer to do the work,” Torres said. “If we closed both lanes on that bridge we would have extraordi- nary backup.” As of 2013, the average traffic count on Old Youngs Bay Bridge was 20,000 vehicles a day. Lewis and Clark River Bridge had an Pump: State’s prohibition has been in place since 1951 Continued from Page 1A Pumped up Alex Pajunas/The Daily Astorian Neighborhood Greenway, which covers the Alderbrook neighborhood, is the next phase of the city’s Riverfront Vision Plan. other commercial activities in the city’s timber and ¿shing heyday. But today, because of shallow water, relative isolation and restrictive zoning, even maritime uses, such as a mari- na, would be dif¿cult without dredging or other improve- ments. “This area isn’t going to lend itself to any kind of develop- ment, really,” said Rosemary Johnson, a special projects plan- ner for the city. Apparent consensus The Astoria Planning Com- mission will hold a work ses- sion on land use in the Neigh- borhood Greenway on Sept. 1, with a public hearing likely in October. The City Council could take up the issue in No- vember. The apparent consensus among residents to keep the zoning in Alderbrook largely intact may give city planners and elected of¿cials a breather from the overheated and divi- sive debates over development that happened during the Civ- ic Greenway and Bridge Vista phases. A majority of the City Council believed Civic Green- way and Bridge Vista struck a balance between conservation and development, and imposed building restrictions that did not exist before, but a vocal camp has argued the city has not done enough to protect scenic views of the river. The last leg of the River- front Vision Plan — the Urban Core, between Second Street and 16th Street — is expected to be intense. “I was real pleased with the turnout. And I think we got a lot of positive comments,” Dave Pearson, the president of the Astoria Planning Commis- sion, said after the town hall on Neighborhood Greenway. “I think they mesh very well with what the city already has on pa- per as part of the initial vision. “And, I think with just a little bit of ¿ne tuning, I think we’ll be there.” average of 11,400 travelers a day. Both bridges are main connections to Lewis and Clark National Historical Park and the Astoria Re- gional Airport. The spans also provide alternative routes between Astoria and Warrenton, al- leviating some traffic pres- sure on U.S. Highway 30, the Youngs Bay Bridge and U.S. Highway 101. Pat Schmidt, a gas at- tendant at Astoria’s Tex- aco Food Mart, said he’s not worried about losing his job if the pumps go self-serve; his supervi- sors have assured him there would still be plen- ty for him to do in the store, he said. The law, Schmidt said, may actually in- crease business efficien- cy, on top of its revenue, by allowing employees on duty after 6 p.m. to focus on important tasks, like restocking refrigera- tors and assisting shop- pers, rather than on run- ning outside every few minutes to pump petrol. And, for gas stations that are just gas stations, where the only employ- ees are gas attendants, jobs would stay very much the same, Bentz said: Attendants would pump when they’re around and, if they so choose, let drivers pump when they’re not around. Many out-of-state drivers accustomed to the independence that self-service provides will welcome the change, Singh said. “A lot of people come from different states and argue with the attendants because they want to pump their own gas. And some people still do,” he said. “Sometimes they fight and leave.” Oregon and New Jersey are the only two states that don’t allow for self-service dispens- ing at retail fueling sta- tions. Oregon’s prohi- bition has been in place since 1951. Is the law the first step toward 24-hour self-service statewide? Bentz doesn’t think so, though he believes it would be a better deal for drivers. “The only people that have said something like that are those that actu- ally want self-service,” he said, “and they’re hoping that’s what hap- pens.” TIMBERLANDS CLOSED DUE TO HIGH FIRE DANGER Lew is & C la rk Tim b erla n d s a re closed to a ll pu blic en try a n d w ill rem a in in effect u n til fu rther n otice. F or u p-to-d a te in form a tion plea se ca ll ou r REC REATION AL HOTLIN E 5 03 -73 8-63 5 1 Ex t. 2 TIMBERLANDS CLOSED SE L L ING TH E 20 1 6 ISSU E N OW The follow in g is a n excerpt of a letter from a sa tisfied rea d er D ea r Stephen , It is m y grea t plea sure to tha n k you for sen din g m e your gorgeous publica tion , O ur Coa st. Rea din g it m a de m e m ore determ in ed tha n ever to return there a n d explore the a rea . W e ha d such a pow erful experien ce in Astoria . M elin d a Blo o m , Co m p a n y M a n a g er Da n ce Thea tre o f Ha rlem To a d vertise, con ta ct The D a ily Astoria n 503.325.3211 466 W , 152n d Street | N ew Y ork , NY 10031 212.690.2800 ext. 457 m bloom @ d a n cethea treofha rlem .org