COOS BAY - The window in Dolores Salcedo's living room rattled Monday afternoon. A sport utility vehicle zoomed past; its stereo bass thumping. The retired nurse sighed and said that's just a hint of what it's been like the past week and a half on Eighth Terrace.

"They roar down here like it's a speedway at night," she said. 

The shady side street has seen a lot more use since the Coos Bay-North Bend Water Board closed North 10th Street to replace an aging water main on May 29. Water board and city officials looked at a number of alternative routes, and eventually opted to guide drivers along Eighth Terrace.

Neighbors understand the Water Board needs to keep its pipes in good order. Some just think the road is ill suited for more traffic, noting that vehicles often must slow down, or pull aside, before they can pass each other.

One neighbor, Sarah Crawford, spoke to the City Council last week, arguing the street is narrow enough to be considered a single-lane road, which requires a 15 mph speed limit.

The road doesn't have a center line, but it is wide enough for two lanes of traffic, said Capt. Gary McCullough of Coos Bay police. Even so, workers posted  several temporary signs urging motorists to slow down and obey the temporary 15-mph speed limit.

That's helped some, said Robert Cribbins, who lives in an apartment on the corner of Eighth Terrace and Eighth Street. But many drivers are still speeding. It's hard for him to get upset, though, because he knows the police have their hands full, and if not Eighth Terrace, some other street would be dealing with more traffic.

It's a balancing act between limiting the disturbance to neighbors while not making the detour too confusing for motorists, said Water Board Director Rob Schab. Engineers from both the Water Board and the city of Coos Bay looked at various options, all in residential areas, before deciding on Eighth Terrace. It is the shortest detour route, compared to going over Telegraph Hill, up behind Mingus Park or out to Highway 101.

"City staff and the Water Board are hearing neighbors' concerns," Schab said. "If we can alleviate some problems we certainly will."

Neighbors have made adjustments. One resident drives very slowly down the road, serving as his own personal speed bump, he said. Another makes sure not to let her dog out of the house if she's not with her.

Harry Devi has his children play in the backyard, though he isn't too worried about the work and the resulting traffic. He wondered how many people complaining about the traffic will be complaining about their water pressure once the Water Board gets done.

"I think it's going to improve things overall," he said.

The Water Board is replacing a 14-inch main line that is about 60 years old and has suffered about four breaks in the past 10 years, Schab said. With Coos Bay planning to repave 10th Street later this year, it seemed like a good time to put in a new pipe.

"It was very timely that we got in there and got it done," he said.

The Water Board is scheduled to complete its work by July 17, though Schab said the project is a bit ahead of schedule.

What Salcedo is worried about is that once the work crews leave, drivers will continue to use the route. Although it hasn't happened, she predicts that the route is ripe for an accident.

"It just seems like Eighth Terrace is being bombarded," she said.

Capt. McCullough said there haven't been any accidents reported and no speeding tickets issued on Eighth Terrace since the Water Board closed 10th Street.

Eighth Terrace should avoid major disruptions the next time 10th Street gets a facelift. The city plans to repave the road in the early part of September, said Public Works Director Jim Hossley. A contractor hasn't been hired, but Hossley said workers will probably be able to keep open one lane of traffic on 10th Street and complete the project more quickly than the Water Board work.

"I'm not anticipating we will have detours," he said.