PORT ANGELES – Demolition got underway Monday afternoon to make way for the Lower Elwha tribe’s new hotel in downtown Port Angeles.
The contractor began with the old Necessities and Temptations building on Railroad Avenue. They’ll then move to the Harbor Arts building next door and continue clockwise to the rent-a-car building and garage before taking down the big building on Front Street that housed the Downtown Hotel and Cornerhouse Restaurant.
We asked hotel manager Robert Utz what we can expect in terms of traffic disruptions while work is under way.
“The sidewalks that are right around Necessities will be closed. So that will be a revision, but there aren’t any planned traffic revisions on Laurel and Railroad. So they will be able to move equipment in and out without without having to do any traffic revision for those two buildings. Now when they get into the garage and in the downtown hotel Cornerhouse, that’ll be a different story. But for a couple weeks, no traffic revisions at this point to announce.”
The Tribe has previously said that, following demolition, they’ll need about 2 months for contamination clean-up of the garage site before beginning construction of the $24-million, 100-room hotel.
Staff photo: Necessities building lies in rubble Monday afternoon.