Document text
61 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, June 14, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 21, 2004 A two-mile section of Jacksonville Highway between North Ross Lane and Hanley Road can no longer have that name because of the bypass, say Oregon Department of Transportation officials. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Old highway in search of a name Rerouting of Highway 238 traffic leaves some residents with an identity crisis By SANNE SPECHT Mail Tribune Two years after completing the Highway 238-Jacksonville Highway bypass, state and county officials are still playing a name game with the route between Medford and Jacksonville. "When we rerouted Highway 238 onto Rossanley and Hanley, that became the Jacksonville Highway," said John Vial, district manager for the Oregon Department of Transportation. "Highway 238 is by definition the Jacksonville Highway. Those two go together and can’t be uncoupled. And you can’t have two Highway 238s." The old Jacksonville Highway began where West Main Street ends, at about North Ross Lane. ODOT says the two-mile section between North Ross Lane and Hanley Road can no longer have that name. Advertisement ODOT removed all Highway 238-Jacksonville Highway route shields and directional signing from the section two years ago. In a letter dated July 24, 2002, Vial asked the county to rename the stretch, suggesting Old Jacksonville Highway or West Main Street. Paul Korbulic, director of Jackson County Roads, Parks and Planning, says he got the letter and responded. "At the time of the request, the county became responsible for the maintenance of the road by county ordinance," he said. But no official action has yet been taken on renaming the section of now-county road because there was no ordinance in place to do so, Korbulic said. Changing street or highway names in the county is a complicated and usually complaint-driven business, he said. "The process is often started by residents, or by emergency service providers," said Korbulic. In this case, there have been no such requests — except from ODOT, he said. Laura Goodman owns Fox Run Farms. Her business is listed in the Qwest 2004 phone book as being located at 3842 Jacksonville Highway. However, Fox Run Farms’ address may have been in question for the past two years. Goodman was surprised to discover she no longer officially lived on Highway 238-Jacksonville Highway. No one, she said, had told her about the change. "(Jacksonville Highway) has been the main connection between Medford and Jacksonville for so many years," said Goodman. "It has meaning to those local owners who have businesses here." To some, the decision to name the bypass Jacksonville Highway doesn’t make sense. Joel Morrow owns a salvage and antiques business located at 2784 Jacksonville Highway — the old one. Morrow says he understands why there can’t be two Jacksonville Highways. But the newcomer highway should take the new moniker, he said. "It’s confusing to call it (the bypass) the Jacksonville Highway when it dead-ends into nowhere," he said, referring to the Big X intersection at the Rogue Valley Mall. "I’ll have to redo all my cards and (notify) the phone book, too." Still, said Morrow, there may already have been some confusion about the highway’s location before the bypass. "Half the people don’t know what this stretch is anyway, when I say I’m on Jacksonville Highway," said Morrow. "I just tell them to go way out on West Main. Then they say, ‘Ooooh!’" Korbulic said the property owners’ addresses are still viable at this time, regardless of ODOT’s request. "If we decide to change the name to Old Jacksonville Highway, the residents and business owners will have an opportunity to address the county," said Korbulic. "And, we’d also address the city (of Medford) to see how far out they’d like West Main Street to go." Vial said every state highway has an official name and a route number. For example, he said, the Rogue Valley Highway is also Highway 99. But local municipalities often give highways other names. "In Medford, Highway 99 is North Pacific Highway in the north section of town. It is Court and Riverside streets in the middle of town. And it is South Pacific Highway in the south section of town," Vial said. "In Ashland, Highway 99 is also North Main Street, East Main Street, Lithia Street and Siskiyou Boulevard. But the official name is still the Rogue Valley Highway." Korbulic agrees there are complicated name issues throughout the valley. "There are duplicate road names and street addresses all over Jackson County," Korbulic said. Duplicate names can lead to confusion among emergency service agencies when they must respond to calls. "We are working with SORC (Southern Oregon Regional Communications) to come up with an addressing ordinance that facilitates re-addressing the properties," Korbulic said. On the other hand, said Korbulic, even if a name change gets OK’d by county commissioners and planning, the news is not always welcome to residents and businesses. There are costs incurred and customs disrupted when people are forced to change their long-held addresses. In addition to the "new" versus "old" Jacksonville Highway dilemma, Vial also requested the new section of the highway extending west from the mall intersection to Sage Road be named Rossanley Drive. It is a small section just before the road becomes Rossanley Drive. "As this section of highway currently lies within county jurisdiction, we are requesting county action to name this facility," Vial wrote. Korbulic said the county has not renamed that section of highway yet either. "It’s part of the same process," Korbulic said. Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 776-4497 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times