With work on the Thornton Street Overpass underway, and the expectation and hope that daily life in Spring 2020 will be starkly different than the coming months, the City is collecting mementos and contributions from the public to be placed in a quick release time capsule to be opened at the completion of the pre-loading process, which is anticipated to take up to 18 months.
“This is an unusual and turbulent time,” said Mayor Greg Hansen. “With a major project like Thornton beginning, we wanted to seize the opportunity to memorialize our experience today.” Items contributed to the time capsule will be shared with the public at the completion of the pre-loading process. ”With the pandemic, a traditional groundbreaking would be difficult to attend,” said Hansen. “This will allow the public an alternative way to engage with this exciting project.”
Donations can be letters to future Ferndale residents, what people miss or look forward to in the months to come, or items that help commemorate the COVID-19 experience. To contribute physical items, please email public-works@cityofferndale.org or call (360) 685-2377 to arrange for a drop-off at City hall. Digital items may be emailed to public-works@cityofferndale.org. All donations must be received by 5pm, Friday May 8th.
Initial work on the project will include utility improvements and earthen wall embankments leading up to the future overpass needed to clear BNSF’s tracks. A lengthy pre-load period is needed to stabilize and compress the soils beneath the embankments leading up to the new bridge, and these improvements will occur ahead of the planned bridge structure and road improvements. To accommodate the settlement period, the construction phase of the project will stretch across multiple construction seasons, and the City is anticipating a 3-year construction period with completion estimated in 2023.
For more information on the Thornton Street Overpass, go to www.cityofferndale.org/ThorntonOverpass or follow #ThorntonOverpass