Document text
Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 7, 2005 Improvements to the busy Highway 99 corridor through Central Point are in the planning stages and may include limited medians, trees, decorative lighting and on-street parking. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Central Point’s slice of Hwy. 99 slated for fixup By BUFFY POLLOCK for the Mail Tribune CENTRAL POINT — Business owners, city officials and traffic consultants hope to finalize plans by June for transforming parts of Highway 99 into safer, more aesthetically pleasing entrances into the city. They also hope to improve traffic flow, address future needs and identify funding sources, all while keeping communication open between business owners and city officials. "Essentially, when we’re done, we will have a plan we will use as a blueprint to work with property owners to make improvements and to make the highway slower and more efficient ... and make it safer and more attractive," said Community Development Director Tom Humphrey. Improvements for the Highway 99 corridor from Cupp Drive to Crater High School could include limited medians, trees, decorative lighting, street parking, sidewalks and new curbs and gutters, Humphrey said. Areas targeted for improvements include two north of Pine Street — in front of Crater High School and in front of the Rogue Creamery — and two south of Pine, near Fire District 3 and near Dutch Brothers. Advertisement Funded through an $80,000 state grant provided after the city took jurisdiction of the highway in June, the plan would connect various transit-oriented developments into a central business district. It was discussed between the city and affected business owners during meetings held in February. Preliminary designs for improvements are expected to cost from $160,000 to $250,000 per targeted area. Dave Duste of Dusty’s Transmissions, who has been in the same location for 27 years, said he looked forward to the old highway receiving a much-needed facelift. Most business owners polled voiced a desire for Highway 99 improvements not to mirror issues created with rebuilding of the Highway 99/Pine Street intersection, which prompted myriad complaints. "So far it looks like it’s going very well," said Duste. "Not like the Pine Street mess. So far I really don’t have a lot to say. I think it’s been somewhat positive." Duste said the highway must continue to function as a main arterial while incorporating needed cosmetic elements into the business district. "We have a lot of traffic through here. We’re no longer the little bedroom community we used to be," he said. "Slowing down traffic is a good idea but we don’t want to restrict it." Grange Co-Op Petroleum Operations Manager Bill Christie said he liked the ideas for decorative lighting and trees but had reservations about on-street parking along the highway and about medians at any point. "Our main concerns are access to businesses, which means we are not in favor of any medians on Highway 99," said Christie. "That being said, we realize there are some businesses that do want them in front of their operations� which does not affect us as long as it doesn’t interfere with our operations and that of our neighbors," he added. "We want to remain involved in the process to see that things continue to run smoothly and take into consideration all of the business owners along the corridor." Tom Lister, project manager for Otak, the traffic consultant coordinating the process, said recreation of Highway 99 through the city would present both a challenge and an opportunity. "And this is the first step in figuring out what that means � creating dialogue and figuring out how to make the corridor look better, feel better and become safer for pedestrians," he said. On the Web: http://www.ci.central-point.or.us . Click on "Charette Report." Buffy Pollock is a free-lance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [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 Ztechmedia Website Hosting 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 Advertisement s