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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 14, 2005 Local officials question ODOT about highway project funding The state downplays the impact of taking money from Highway 62 projects to pay for the south Medford interchange By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune A transportation group expressed unease Tuesday over the possibility of siphoning almost $13 million earmarked to improve Highway 62 to pay for a costly new south Medford interchange. "That makes me really nervous," said Phoenix Mayor Vicki Bear, a member of the Rogue Valley Area Commission on Transportation, which met in Grants Pass and will make a decision on the interchange at a later date. Another member, Jackson County Commissioner Dave Gilmour, also worried about undercutting the funding of Highway 62 and the possibility that taking money from one project could have a cascade effect on other road projects. "Is that going to sabotage Highway 62 if that happens?" he asked Oregon Department of Transportation officials. ODOT officials, who downplayed the impacts to Highway 62, gave their most complete accounting to date of the interchange project, now estimated at $83.3 million. Advertisement Of that amount, funding already has been secured for $12.5 million in projects not related specifically to the interchange, such as upgrading bridges, repaving Interstate 5, and finishing the last leg of the Bear Creek Greenway. By bidding these projects together with the interchange, ODOT expects to see an overall cost savings. That leaves $70.8 million to construct the actual interchange, of which about $18 million has been spent so far on design, engineering and right-of-way purchases. Art Anderson, area manager for ODOT, left open the possibility that costs could go even higher with the volatility of the real estate market and construction costs. "We don’t know what the actual cost on the project will be until we get the bids back," he said. ODOT estimated the interchange would cost $30 million in the 1990s, but revised that figure to $59.8 million in 2002. Of that amount, $7.6 million has been secured to rebuild bridges over Bear Creek. With the project tab higher now, ODOT proposed making up the difference by securing $3 million in additional federal funding and $3 million from selling off land once the Barnett Road interchange is abandoned. Another $12.6 million would be taken out of $38 million designated to improve a portion of Highway 62. "We really need to keep the focus on keeping south Medford a viable interchange project," said Anderson. He said ODOT has looked at bringing down the costs by finding cheaper ways to build the interchange. Temporary bridges that are needed during construction for workers and to detour traffic were originally estimated at $5.9 million. But Anderson said it might be possible to bring that cost down to $1.5 million. "We are scrutinizing this project very closely," he said. Paul Mather, southwest Oregon manager for ODOT, said Highway 62 improvements shouldn’t be severely compromised by taking some of the money away from a project that he estimated would total well in excess of $100 million. He also left open the possibility that the state could have money left over from a bridge renovation program that would help repay the money borrowed from the Highway 62 project. Commission member Tom Humphrey, community development director for Central Point, said the Highway 62 corridor would be improved in stages, so he thought taking money from that project was the best possible option. Commission member Ernest Garb, a Rogue Valley Transportation District board member, said the lack of reliability in the estimates has put everyone ill at ease. "Who’s to say the Highway 62 project won’t be up 100 percent?" he said. "That’s the problem that has caused us a great deal of distress." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail Local officials question ODOT about highway project funding ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy online casino Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Reservationstogo Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Natto Kinase Nattokinase Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Investments & Loans Advertisement s