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Businesses say overhaul will hurt Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Rod Witham of Witham Truck Stop says the proposed realignment of the north Medford freeway interchange could be "devastating to business." By Jessica Smith Frustrated by what an overhaul of the north freeway interchange will mean to them, three Medford businessmen say they want the state to rethink the redesign. Representatives from Witham Truck Stop, Rogue Regency Inn and Comfort Inn say they don�t want their businesses to lose access to Biddle Road, for fear that customers will begin looking elsewhere for services. "Without that access, to me, it�s just devastating to business," said Rod Witham, who built the truck stop 37 years ago. Under current plans, realignment of the north interchange will prevent motorists from making left turns in several places where such movements are now allowed. The $22 million plan, part of a larger project to redesign Highway 62 out to White City, also calls for removing traffic signals and closing a pair of on- and off-ramps where Highway 62 meets Biddle Road. A right-turn-only lane will replace the access ramps, while a new connection between Highway 62 and Biddle will be built north of the current intersection. The truck stop�s restaurant and fueling bays � which have direct access to the signaled intersection � will be most affected by the proposed changes, said Witham. Hungry motorists who want to stop for a meal would be required to make a right turn onto Biddle and loop around the back side of the truck stop to find the restaurant, he explained. Truck drivers who want to pull into the fueling bays would be required to do the same thing. According to Witham, truckers and motorists will choose to fill their tanks and their bellies at places with less complicated layouts. Rogue Regency owner Scott McCollum and Brady Gibson, Comfort Inn manager, say their businesses face similar problems if the state moves ahead with the interchange redesign as proposed. The state�s preferred design would prohibit drivers from turning left onto Biddle when leaving the Rogue Regency parking lot, which shares access to Biddle with the Comfort Inn. Guests wishing to drive south on Biddle would need to head north and make a U-turn at a new intersection near Crater Lake Ford on old Haul Road. Concerned about the interchange project�s effects on the businesses, the Medford City Council at a study session Thursday directed staff to prepare a resolution that it hopes will persuade the state to retain traffic signals at the Highway 62-Biddle intersection. Though state traffic engineers found the signals were unwarranted, Councilman Jim Key proposed the resolution to address his concerns about whether it�s safe to permit U-turns on Biddle. "I can�t hang my hat on warrants," he said. Mike Arneson, a roadway designer for the Oregon Department of Transportation, said state engineers determined that keeping the signals to allow left turns on Biddle would disrupt the flow of traffic to benefit just a few drivers. Permitting left turns near the interchange could also lead to accidents caused by impatient drivers who are forced to wait long periods, Arneson said. "What we�ve tried to do is come up with a plan that provides access to businesses but does not compromise safety." Changes at the north interchange also will mean closure of several other businesses, including the International House of Pancakes, Denny�s, Best Western Pony Soldier Inn and a Chevron gas station. State officials say negotiations with the land owners will be part of the process. ODOT also pays relocation costs. Though the state is willing to listen to the city�s and business community�s objections, Arneson said ODOT already has made several compromises to accommodate those concerns. "We acknowledge that some people in the area will take the brunt of the impact," he said. "We�re trying to look at this in a regional aspect." The interchange overhaul and the changes on Biddle go hand-in-hand with a proposed realignment for the Highway 62 corridor, considered one of the most important roadways in the Rogue Valley. It links Medford and White City and serves as a route to Central and Eastern Oregon. ODOT is expected to hold hearings on a draft environmental assessment of the project � which includes the interchange overhaul and two options for the realignment of Highway 62 � in the next few months. Public comment will be taken before ODOT makes a final decision, which must be approved by the Federal Highway Administration before construction begins in 2003. 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.