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Freeway interchange plans to be discussed at meeting Residents can learn more about plans to overhaul the freeway interchange on Barnett Road during a public meeting Tuesday. The meeting is set for 6 to 8 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Temple, 955 N. Phoenix Road. The Rogue Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization will discuss efforts to relieve traffic congestion at the south Medford interchange. Studies on traffic, the environment and the impact on neighborhoods also will be shared. Earlier this month, a panel of state transportation officials and local residents expressed its preference that the new freeway ramps be built to connect Interstate 5 to Highland Drive to the east, and Belknap Road and Highway 99 to the west. A second alternative calls for connecting I-5 to Ellendale Drive. But routing freeway traffic to Ellendale would eliminate nearby low-income and senior housing, the transportation team found. The Ellendale option also would encroach on Bear Creek and riparian areas. Under either option, existing freeway ramps on Barnett would be closed, turning the street over to local traffic. The interchange fix is expected to cost more than $30 million. State transportation officials have tentatively budgeted the project for construction in 2005. A draft environmental impact statement on the interchange overhaul is expected in May, when a public hearing will be held on the findings. In addition to the Highland and Ellendale options, a "no build" alternative is being studied in the EIS. A final design won�t be made public until July or August. The state expects to release its final EIS in January 2002. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.