8 Ashland s I-5 interchanges Drivers alert to work zone safety

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2 2 A publication of the Product Innovation Division of the Mail Tribune Friday, April 13, 2007 OREGON DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION C O N T E N T S PROJECTS 3 Fern Valley Interchange 4 South Medford Interchange 5 Highway 62 Corridor NEWS 8 Ashland s I-5 interchanges Drivers alert to work zone safety Tree removal on Highway 199 at Laurel Road ON OUR COVER The Highway 62 corridor from Medford to White City experiences some of the heaviest traffic and congestion in southern Oregon STAFF CONTENT CONTRIBUTORS Bill Boyett, Jared Castle, Gary Leaming EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Jared Castle ADVERTISING SALES Angela Fraley (541) PRODUCT INNOVATION Susie Wenaus, Manager Tirsa Villanueva, Paul Bunch, Graphic Designers Steve Johnson, Photography FEEDBACK We welcome your comments and suggestions. Please send them by mail to: Moving Ahead with ODOT ODOT Rogue Valley Area Office 100 Antelope Road White City, Oregon or ODOTMovingAhead@odot.state.or.us Please include your full name and address, telephone number, and address, if available. PRODUCT INNOVATION DIVISION, a division of the Mail Tribune Advertising Department, provides professional production and design services to market your business in print and on the Internet. This feature publication is produced separately from the Mail Tribune s newspaper s editorial department. All content is provided or approved by the Oregon Department of Transportation. ODOT is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer committed to a diverse workforce. Accommodations will be provided to persons with disabilities. Alternate formats available upon request.

3 A publication of the Product Innovation Division of the Mail Tribune Friday, April 13, Fern Valley Interchange Teams narrow alternatives, move two designs forward Three is a magic number. The third year is the charm for development of the Fern Valley Interchange project as it enters an important phase; the study of two design alternatives in the federally-required environmental assessment (EA). By later this year, the project will have evaluated the two design alternatives a mix of previous concepts and those submitted by the Phoenix Association of Business and Property Owners within the EA. The Fern Valley Interchange experiences traffic congestion throughout the day, especially during the morning and afternoon commute. New and proposed development on the east side of Interstate 5, and development growth within the Rogue Valley, is choking the interchange s capacity and causing safety concerns. Both teams, the Fern Valley Citizens Advisory Committee and Project Development Team, narrowed the alternatives to two design concepts at their February 2007 meetings. We jumped a major hurdle with the Fern Valley teams by forwarding the PBA West, Crossing Diamond and two east side alternatives, said Jerry Marmon, environmental project manager for the Oregon Department of Transportation. The two east side designs are different in how North Phoenix Road and Fern Valley Road connect. A new interchange design being considered is the Crossing Diamond Interchange, also known as a Diverging Diamond Interchange. This type of interchange design is under consideration elsewhere, so we thought we should present another alternative, said ODOT Area Manager Art Anderson. A new design concept for Oregon, the Crossing Diamond Interchange directs drivers to the left side of the bridge, similar to being on a one-way street, to cross the interstate. Compared to a standard diamond interchange, the Crossing Diamond Interchange moves traffic quicker because it reduces the number of stops thus improving efficiency. They are also less disruptive to established businesses near the interchange. The width of the over-crossing structure is typically less than that required for a conventional diamond interchange. Once the draft EA is completed, a 30-day public comment period will be scheduled to collect feedback. During the comment period, ODOT will host an open house and public hearing to hear concerns. Public comments will be addressed in the Revised EA. Then, the teams will vote for an alternative. Construction could begin as soon as For more information about the Fern Valley Interchange project, go online to www. oregon.gov/odot/hwy/region3.

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5 A publication of the Product Innovation Division of the Mail Tribune Friday, April 13, Highway 62 Corridor Design alternatives under further study in draft environmental document With the design footprint approved, work now begins on two bypass alternatives for the Highway 62 Corridor project. Both alternatives will be studied in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The project, which has been in the making for more than two years, is led by teams comprised of local citizens and technical experts. The teams put a lot of time and energy into this process to reach this milestone. ODOT Environmental Project Manager Jerry Marmon The Highway 62 corridor from Medford to White City experiences some of the heaviest traffic and congestion in southern Oregon. The volume of traffic in the corridor is similar to that found on Interstate 5 north of Medford. According to the Oregon Department of Transportation, traffic on Highway 62 is expected to double in 20 years. Safety is another concern on the corridor. Crash rates from Poplar Drive to Delta Waters Road and from Corey Road to Antelope Road exceed the statewide rate, primarily because of the volume of traffic and roadways and driveways located between those points. The teams put a lot of time and energy into this process to reach this milestone, said ODOT Environmental Project Manager Jerry Marmon. A technical study of the Split Diamond Alternative and Bypass Alternative is underway for the Draft EIS, which is scheduled for completion later this spring. Once the Draft EIS ready, ODOT will host an open house and open a 45-day public comment period. To get to this point, the teams dropped several alternatives that they thought were too disruptive, Marmon said. The teams unanimously dismissed the Texas Turnaround and Existing Highway alternatives because of their costs and impacts to existing businesses. We ve reached out to the businesses and industrial users on the north and south parts of the corridor last year and received some excellent feedback, ODOT Project Leader Debbie Timms said. We also received good feedback during the September (2006) open houses, where a majority of people stated they liked the Split Diamond. The corridor alternatives allow through traffic to travel on an access-controlled highway, leaving Highway 62 as it currently is with full access to streets and driveways. The design concepts are available online at the Highway 62 Corridor Web site, TWO OPTIONS AT THE SOUTH END BYPASS The Split-Diamond option, which would modify the existing ramps north of I-5 exit 30 to accommodate Bypass traffic. Motorists would travel on a separate road from I-5 to White City. The existing alignment on Oregon Highway 62 would remain as is with full access to businesses. The Bypass Alternative, where the bypass would merge with the existing Highway 62 from I-5 to near the current Butler Truck Center and Lava Lanes. Due to high volumes of traffic, there would be no access from that point west to I-5. The Poplar-Bullock intersection on Highway 62 would change into either an underpass or overpass. EXCELLENCE IN TRUCKING SINCE % OF OUR FREIGHT IS ON THE I-5 CORRIDOR, ALLOWING OUR DRIVERS TO GET HOME MORE FREQUENTLY. *$$ Sign On Bonus $$ Plus Safety & Incentive Bonuses! Percentage or Mileage for Owner Operators Company Drivers Medical, Vision, Dental, Life, Profit Sharing/401K & Vacation Available Reefer, Dry Van, Flatbed We ll take that same approach with meeting stakeholders near Vilas Road and near White City, sharing the footprint with them and listening to their concerns. (800) 444-4RLT Z

6 6 A publication of the Product Innovation Division of the Mail Tribune Friday, April 13, 2007 The existing alignment on Highway 62 would remain as is, with full access to businesses. New I-5 southbound-off and northbound-on ramps would accommodate drivers traveling either the bypass or the existing Highway 62. Motorists would travel on a separate road from I-5 to White City.

7 A publication of the Product Innovation Division of the Mail Tribune Friday, April 13, Bypass traffic would merge with the existing Highway 62 traffic. Due to high volumes of traffic, there would be no access on the highway between Delta Waters and Biddle Road. Business access would be provided by backage road. The Poplar/Bullock intersection on Highway 62 changes into an underpass or overpass.

8 8 A publication of the Product Innovation Division of the Mail Tribune Friday, April 13, 2007 Ashland s I-5 Interchanges Team plans for bridge replacements Citizens of Ashland and Jackson County attended the first of a series of monthly meetings to discuss transportation and land use management around the North Ashland (exit 19) and Green Springs (exit 14) Interstate 5 interchanges. The Oregon Department of Transportation currently has scheduled both bridges for replacement in The project is part of the Oregon Transportation Investment Act (OTIA), a series of funding packages passed by the Oregon Legislature beginning in 2001, providing $2.96 billion for highway and bridge construction through Dick s Wrecker Service To prepare for the bridge replacements, ODOT is working with local citizens and staff from the City of Ashland and Jackson County to develop Interchange Area Management Plans (IAMPs) for the exit 14 and exit 19 interchanges and surrounding areas. We re talking about investing millions of taxpayers dollars to replace these bridges, said ODOT Long Range Planner John McDonald. We want to make sure that those dollars are spent wisely, and the IAMPs are a major step toward achieving that goal. The IAMPs will look at computer models of current and future traffic conditions at both I-5 interchanges. Once those models are complete, the citizens group will examine different management tools to ensure safe and efficient movement of traffic through the year Because interchanges are very expensive, we want to make sure they last a long time, said McDonald. The citizens group meets at 6 p.m. on the third Wednesday of every month at the Community Center, 59 Winburn Way, in Ashland. Meetings are expected to continue through August of this year. What is an IAMP? An IAMP is a joint ODOT and local government long-term (20+ years) transportation and land use plan to balance and manage transportation and land use decisions in interchange areas. An IAMP is an important tool in protecting the function of state highway interchanges and the supporting local street network. It identifies local and state transportation and land use objectives for the interchange area and guides the management of the relationship between the operation of the transportation system and land use development patterns. It expresses ODOT and the local government s management objectives and intent to provide adequate and safe state facilities and supporting local street network. It helps ensure that local land use plans are compatible with the capacity and function of the state and local transportation system facilities and investments. It helps ensure that future capacity and operational needs will be met while protecting the interchange function. It is adopted by ODOT and the affected local government and they identify components of the plan related to their authorities. It guides subsequent decisions by the affected local government and ODOT about land uses, the street network, and access. BE SAFE! Call us today! ATOW x /13

9 A publication of the Product Innovation Division of the Mail Tribune Friday, April 13, Highway 199 Expressway Project teams expected to make design recommendation This month, the Highway 199 Expressway project teams are expected to select a design alternative to advance into the final Environmental Analysis (EA). The design alternatives are part of the Highway 199 Expressway project from the South Y interchange (the intersection of Oregon Highways 99, 199 and 238) west to Midway Avenue. This section of U.S. 199, currently designated as an Oregon Department of Transportation Safety Corridor, has a higher crash rate than the statewide average for similar highways. The Highway 199 Expressway project s goals are to improve safety and congestion on the highway. The $12 million project, which includes a $2 million federal earmark, is scheduled to begin construction in The project teams evaluated and responded to 85 comments brought forward during a 30-day public comment. We answered each comment by category and considered all new alternatives brought forward in the process, said ODOT Environmental Project Leader Jerry Marmon. New alternatives included those presented by the group ACCESS, represented by Grants Pass attorney Duane Schultz whose clients include businesses in the corridor. Last summer, the project teams the Citizens Advisory Committee and the Project Development Team voted unanimously to forward Alternatives A and C into the draft EA. In May 2006, both project teams reviewed a new design, C, which provides an access road from Allen Creek road to the Josephine County Fairgrounds and YMCA. JESSE & LINDSAY W O U L D H A V E L O V E D T H I S! READY MIXED CONCRETE SAND AND GRAVEL CRUSHED ROCK ASPHALT PAVING CONCRETE STORE The next time you see an LTM highway crew working, just think what Jesse and Lindsay Applegate could have done with their Applegate Trail if they had an LTM crew with them. As a leading highway contractor for 75 years, LTM salutes the Oregon Department of Transportation for designing and maintaining our highway system. It allows us to share the beauty of our state with our families and gives businesses a vital link to America. The Draft EA examined the human and natural environments such as any significant impacts to rivers, streams, plants and animals. Public comments and concept alternatives are available online at the Highway 199 Expressway project Web site: w w w. LT M i n c. c o m T H E B E S T G U A R A N T E E D Z /13e We Serve: The South Coast Douglas County The Rogue Valley The Klamath Basin

10 10 A publication of the Product Innovation Division of the Mail Tribune ODOT PROJECT BRIEFS HIGHWAY 99 NEW ASPHALT SOUTH OF ASHLAND A three-mile section of Highway 99, south of Ashland will receive a makeover this summer. Highway 99 between Walker Avenue and Interstate 5 will receive a new layer of asphalt, as well as new sidewalks in certain areas. The $2 million project improves the existing portion of Highway 99. The new roadway will be asphalt. The part of the existing roadway that is concrete was once the main Pacific Highway before Interstate 5 was constructed in the early 1960s. In addition to applying new pavement, the project improves bicycle and pedestrian access on the highway between Walker Avenue and I-5. Before new asphalt can be applied, sections of the existing concrete roadway need to be removed and improved. That means there will be several days and nights prior to main construction when Highway 99 will be reduced down to a single lane with traffic control provided by flaggers. Project contractor, LTM, Inc. will begin work June 1 on the 90-day project. The contractor will be limited to work only during the daytime hours, beginning at 8 a.m. and ending at 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. HIGHWAY 199 AT LAUREL ROAD TREE REMOVAL ALMOST DONE Friday, April 13, 2007 Despite the rumors of Paul Bunyan s return to southern Oregon, the removal of a swath of fir trees along Highway 199 north of Cave Junction is part of the Highway 199 at Laurel Road project. The logging operation is being handled by a contract logger for the Oregon Department of Transportation. The work is in preparation for widening nearly a one-mile section of highway from Laurel Road to near River Street in Cave Junction. That widening will accommodate a center turn lane, wider shoulders and construction of a new bridge over George Creek near Laurel Road. About half of this $5 million project comes from developers in the corridor, said ODOT Area Manager Art Anderson. Without these private contributions, the state dollars would have only addressed some of the safety and operational issues we have in the area. Motorists should expect some short delays during construction. The project is scheduled to wrap up in SEVEN OAKS INTERCHANGE CONSTRUCTION SHIFTS INTO THE DIRT Now that spring has arrived, construction is shifting into the dirt at the Seven Oaks (Blackwell Road) interchange along Interstate 5 exit 35, north of Central Point. DON T LET YOUR FRIENDS... KILL YOU. Ross Brothers Construction worked on the bridges during the winter months, said ODOT Project Manager Tim Fletcher. Now, they ll be moving soil again for the bridge approaches and beam sets for those structures. The existing Blackwell Road overpass is functionally obsolete and traffic volumes are growing in the area. While the interchange remains fairly rural in nature, it is attracting more traffic, especially freight and aggregate trucks. The $24 million project improves the Seven Oaks or Blackwell Road interchange and replaces the two interstate bridges over the Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad. The project is currently scheduled for completion in Additional project information is available online at : REGION3/7oaks_index.shtml They won t mean to. But having a car full of distracting friends is one of the biggest reasons young drivers get in fatal crashes twice as often as everyone else. That s especially true if you re drinking, speeding or cruising around after dark. So buckle up, drive sober, slow down and drive without passengers. And live past 21. Drive Safely. The Way to Go. Transportation Safety ODOT

11 A publication of the Product Innovation Division of the Mail Tribune ODOT NEWS BRIEFS ODOT TV SHOW LOOKS AT SUMMER CONSTRUCTION The Oregon Department of Transportation s live talk show, Moving Ahead with ODOT, will provide a look at what s on the summer construction schedule around the Rogue Valley. The program airs live on Wednesday, June 13 at 6 p.m. on Rogue Valley Community Television government channels 30 (Jackson County) and 14 (Josephine County). Moving Ahead with ODOT gives everyone the latest information available on the roads and current projects that affect our lives! Pick up your copy at one of these locations: Friday, April 13, The program features a call-in segment that offers viewers the opportunity to discuss transportation issues. Viewers can participate by dialing the program call-in number: Rebroadcast dates and times are available on the RVTV Web site: DRIVERS STAY ALERT TO WORK ZONE SAFETY With the volume of highway construction nearly doubling over the past five years in Oregon, drivers have become accustomed to seeing orange signs alerting them of work zones. Highway construction is one of the most dangerous jobs in the country, said Matt Garrett, director of the Oregon Department of Transportation. But something that surprises everyone is that the people who get hurt in work zones are more often the drivers and their passengers than the road workers. The number one thing drivers can do to improve safety while driving is be alert the single biggest factor in crashes is driver inattention. The other contributing factor is speed, which is why work zones have lower speed limits. ODOT s current campaign to educate drivers and encourage safety is Slow down. Better roads ahead. appearing on billboards, bus boards, on radio and television, and now traveling Oregon s highways on ODOT s fleet trailer. Here are some tips for driving safely in work zones: Expect the unexpected Normal speed limits may be reduced, traffic lanes may be altered, and people may be working on or near the road. Slow down Speeding is one of the major causes of work zone crashes. Don t tailgate Keep a safe distance between you and the car ahead of you. The most common crash in a highway work zone is the rear end collision. Keep your distance Keep a safe distance between your vehicle and the construction workers and their equipment. Pay attention to the signs The warning signs are there to help you and other drivers move safely through the work zone. Observe the posted signs until you see the one that says you ve left the work zone. Obey road crew flaggers The flagger knows what is best for moving traffic safely in the work zone. A flagger has the same authority as a regulatory sign, so you may be cited for disobeying his or her directions. Stay alert and minimize distractions Dedicate your full attention to the roadway and avoid changing radio stations or using cell phones while driving. Keep up with the traffic flow Motorists can help maintain traffic flow and posted speeds by merging as soon as possible. Don t drive right up to the lane closure and then try to barge in. Expect delays Schedule enough time to drive safely and check radio, TV and Web sites, such as for traffic information. Ashland A Midsummer's Dream 496 Beach St. Ashland DMV Exit 14, Ashland Ashland Motel 1145 Siskiyou Blvd. Cedarwood Inn 1801 Siskiyou Blvd. Flagship Inn 1193 Siskiyou Blvd. Knights' Inn 2359 Ashland St. La Quinta Inn 434 S Valley View Rd. Les Schwab Tire 2308 Ashland Palm Motel 1065 Siskiyou Blvd. Plaza Inn 98 Central Ave. Port of Entry Interstate 5 Stratford Inn 555 Siskiyou Blvd. Timbers Motel 1450 Ashland St. Windmill Inn 2525 Ashland St. Medford Britt Festival 216 W Main St. Capri Motel 250 E Barnett Rd. Cedar Lodge 518 N Riverside Ave. Ed's Tire Factory 2390 N. Pacific Hwy. Jackson County Library 205 S. Central Knights' Inn 500 N Riverside Ave. Les Schwab Tire 2095 Commerce Blvd. Les Schwab-Medford 500 Matt Lp Les Schwab Tire 701 N. Central Ave. Medford Chamber of Commerce 8th and Front St. Medford DMV 1174 Progress Drive, Suite 103 Pear Tree Motel 300 Pear Tree Ln. Plaza Motel 1102 N Riverside Ave. Red Carpet Inn 525 S Riverside Ave. Redwood Inn 722 N Riverside Ave. Relax Inn 841 S Riverside Ave. RV Transportation Crater Lake Avenue Stage Lodge Motel 830 N 5th St. Sunset Inn 617 N Riverside Ave. Withams Truck Stop Biddle Road Grants Pass Albertson's Beacon 340 NE Beacon DR Albertson's Express 340 NE Beacon DR Albertson's Allen Creek 1690 Allen Creek Rd. Albertson's Express 1690 Allen Creek Rd. Blind George s 117 SW G St. Chamber of Commerce 1995 NW Vine St. DMV 531 NE "F" St. Fred Meyer 1101 Grants Pass Parkway Josephine County Library 200 NW C St. Josephine County Planning 500 NW 6th St. Les Schwab 1694 NW 6th St. Les Schwab 320 Union Ave News & Smokes 1330 NW 6th St. Riverside Inn 971 SE 6th St.. Other Jackson County Locations: Jackson Co. Roads & Parks 200 Antelope Rd., White City Jacksonville Inn 175 E California St., Jacksonville ODOT 100 Antelope Rd., White City RVCOG 155 N. 1st. St., Central Point /07

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