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By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune October 21. 2014 12:01AM New I-5 interchange puts south Medford on fast lane to fast food Panda Express recently opened a second restaurant in south Medford. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell The relocation of the south Medford freeway interchange promised to disrupt commercial life as it had been known for the previous six decades. Not only has it contributed to new hotels and retail construction on Garfield Avenue and Center Drive, but the transition continues along East Barnett Road, as well. Del Taco, which arrived in Medford eight years ago, is poised to open a second location on the southwest corner of Barnett Road and Stewart Avenue. For decades the location has been occupied by gas stations. It's part of a burst of fast-food activity in the area. Panda Express built its second Medford location off of Center Drive this year, opening last Friday. A new McDonald's is in the works on West Main Street near the former Blockbuster movie rental location, and there has been much ado over In-and-Out, which is eyeing a property near the Rogue Valley Mall. In addition, the Oregon Department of Transportation is creating a new parcel from land left over from the interchange move, where southbound I-5 traffic once exited. The matter before a city panel has been continued so that right-of-way issues can be resolved, Akin said.  "It will be interesting to see how that stretch of Barnett redevelops," said Kelly Akin, a senior planner with the Medford Planning Department. "There's quite a lot of underutilized land there." Del Taco is the second-largest taco franchiser in the country with more than 550 stores in 18 states. Its first Medford location near Lava Lanes on Crater Lake Highway got off to a rough start and closed in 2008 before Medford resident Gary Winnen of Cactus Enterprise, whose family operates Del Taco restaurants in the Willamette Valley, reignited the enterprise.  Del Taco proposes a 2,500-square-foot building that would seat 40 inside with a drive-thru and outdoor eating area. The entrances off Barnett Road and Stewart would both differ from those used by gas stations, with the Barnett access pushed farther west and the Stewart entrance bumped southward. Akin said there will be a marked visual change along the street as new commercial projects spring up along Barnett because of new landscaping standards introduced in recent years. Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected].     http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20141021/NEWS/141029946 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->