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McAndrews extension will open soon Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Shawn Geer of Ground Control Inc. sprays mulch on the landscaped banks of the McAndrews extension near Foothill Road. Additional landscaping, installation of street signs and striping are all that�s left before the extension opens in January. Big Medford road project will reach milestone with January opening By Jessica Smith East Medford residents who want quicker access to McAndrews Road likely will get their wish in January. Cory Crebbin, Medford public works director, said the city plans to open the extended road to traffic shortly after the new year. Motorists who now connect to McAndrews from Brookdale Avenue or Springbrook Road will soon have access from Foothill Road. But there�s no word on when the rest of the road will be built. The extension, one of the biggest road construction projects in recent years, is expected to link McAndrews to developments flanking Roxy Ann Peak. The road now ends abruptly on a hill above Foothill. Noel Moore, a Medford developer who agreed to build the upper portion of McAndrews, from Foothill up to Roxy Ann, could not be reached for comment. According to Crebbin, Moore and the city have yet to come to terms on a supplemental agreement that will outline the scope of Moore�s responsibilities. Under a previous agreement with the city, Moore is building the upper portion of McAndrews in exchange for about 160 acres of land. In the meantime, Moore has paved a portion of an orphaned stretch of McAndrews northwest of Tamarack Drive as a requirement for a housing development he is building in the area. At a noon meeting Thursday, the Medford City Council is expected to discuss whether to take a recommendation from public works and release $108,000 to Moore to reimburse him for the paving. "It would have cost us more than $108,000 to (do the work), so let�s give him the money," Crebbin said. The money will come from a fund established in 1991, when Moore agreed to pay the city for the work it was supposed to do on McAndrews northwest of Tamarack Drive. Since Moore did the work himself, he wants his money back. Sidewalks and storm drains must still be installed on that part of the road. But farther west, where McAndrews meets Foothill, the road definitely has taken shape. The road extension, including a freeway-style overpass at Foothill, is all but finished. The road is paved, sidewalks are installed, trees and shrubs are planted and guardrails are erected. "The bulk of the work is done," Crebbin said. "There are a couple other items, but they�re fairly minor." In coming weeks, crews are expected to do additional work on landscaping at Brookdale and Foothill roads, install street signs and stripe the overpass, said city engineer Bob Deuel. Deuel said the city has spent about $6.7 million on the lower portion of the road extension, from Brookdale to Foothill. Reach reporter Jessica Smith at 776-4481, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.