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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Since We Asked Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Readers Choice 2006 Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Our Valley Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend August 30, 2006 Since You Asked I recently moved to the Rogue Valley for a job, and I'm enjoying my new surroundings. My question is: Has the Oregon Department of Transportation ever toyed with the idea of building a highway from the Rogue Valley directly to the Oregon coast? Normally, I take 199 into California and then north into Oregon. Today, I drove to Galice and then took the road past Bear Camp to Agness, and finally onto Gold Beach. The road seemed quite dangerous. So, I'm just curious if a highway has been proposed or if your newspaper has ever run a story on this subject? Thanks. -- Ethan M., via e-mail It seems like a great idea until you look at the negatives, Ethan. For the response we asked ODOT project information specialist Gary Leaming. Leaming said the idea hasn't been seriously explored on any level, as far as he knows. And if it was proposed it would have trouble getting legs under it. Just building such a highway would cost more than $100 million of scarce highway construction dollars, Leaming said. It would have to surmount tremendous engineering challenges in rugged, unstable terrain and environmentally justify a new highway through national forests when an existing highway is nearby. Once built it would become a "maintenance nightmare" because of the mountainous terrain — heavy snowfalls and slides that would frequently close the highway and require costly repairs and maintenance. Leaming says ODOT's John Vial predicts the snow problem would be worse than it is now on the Siskiyou Pass, where, for instance, a few hundred people were stranded on Interstate 5 for 18 hours in a blinding December 2003 blizzard. Leaming points out that some of the drifts are 12 feet high on Bear Camp Road, the one-lane Forest Service road you used to get to Gold Beach. That road often isn't officially opened until June, and Leaming is familiar with it because ODOT's snow removal guys open it up under a contract with the federal government. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] . We're sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems California Casinos Men's Clothing Southern Oregon Loans --> GMAT Prep Fundraisers Send Flowers Texas Electric Choice Entertainment Guide --> Casinos Canada Trunks, Footlocker Online Casino Reviews