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Since You Asked: What is the plastic covering on the expressway? Sunday Dec 10, 2017 at 12:01 AM I was looking at the picture of the recently constructed Highway 62 expressway in the Mail Tribune. It looks like a 12-foot concrete lane covered with plastic to protect the concrete from the current freezing temperatures. Could you let the readers know what's going on? — John I., Medford   You're right, John, the plastic is covering recently poured concrete in the travel lanes on the expressway. The plastic is used to retain the heat from the curing concrete and to prevent it from freezing weather. You appear to have excellent observation skills, John, because each travel lane is exactly 12 feet wide. As you are also no doubt aware, workers reinforce the concrete with rebar. So far, nine miles of the almost 26 miles of travel lanes have already been poured, and work vehicles are already using it to get to various points in the project. Much of the concrete work has been completed from near the interchange at Whittle Road to Vilas Road. However, no concrete has been poured from Vilas Road to Corey Road, where it meets Highway 62. The project, which should shave seven minutes off the Eagle Point to Medford commute, is expected to be open for motorists in early 2019. — Send questions to “Since You Asked,” Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by email to [email protected]. We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them.