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Road extension meets steep opposition Foes: Plans don't make the grade By JIM DAVIS Hearing scheduled What : Public hearing set by Medford City Council to decide whether to eliminate a city code limiting street steepness When : 7 p.m. today Where : Medford City Hall, 411 W. Eighth St. Why : Elimination of the rule would clear the way for an agreement between the city and developer W.L. Moore Construction Co. to build a 1.8-mile extension of McAndrews Road into the city's east hills A rule change that would pave the way for one of the largest road projects ever in Medford is attracting opposition. A Medford planning commissioner and the watchdog group United Medford Citizens say they'll speak out at a city hearing tonight against allowing a new section of McAndrews Road to be built as one of the steepest arterials in the city. "I think we have an opportunity to build a nice street, a street the community can use ... and I'm afraid that we're not doing that," said planning commissioner Dennis Nielsen, who noted he would be testifying as a private citizen. But city engineers and W.L. Moore Construction Co., the developer building the project which would extend McAndrews more than a mile to the east, say the city should eliminate a code that sets maximum street steepness. By doing so, it will allow for better planning as the city expands into the eastern hills, they say. "This is for the future, not just the present," said Bret Moore, a manager at W.L. Moore. "They'll be running into this situation more and more as time goes on." City code now limits grades to 15 percent on residential streets and 8 percent on arterials such as McAndrews. Road grade is the rise of the roadway per 100 linear feet. A 1 percent grade is a one-foot rise in 100 feet. An 8 percent rise is an eight-foot rise in 100 feet. The city and Moore agreed in 1993 to a land swap in which the city would give the developer 200 acres in the east hills in exchange for the developer building more than 6,000 feet of road to the far east part of town. The deal has evolved, however, and the developer will get just more than 160 acres. Both the city and the company want to begin construction this summer and complete the project by next year or early in 2001. Plans call for the road east of Foothill Road to be built at a grade of 8 percent, the maximum allowable. An engineer for W.L. Moore looked at the plan and requested a 525-foot portion be built at a 9.5 percent grade to save the company money. For comparison, Hillcrest Road -- which will run parallel to the McAndrews extension -- runs from 5.5 to 7 percent. The Siskiyou summit is 6 percent at its steepest grades. Moore said there is rock close to the surface and leveling the road to an 8 percent grade would cost his company an additional $1.35 million. Several council members expressed support for the project at a study session Wednesday. Councilman Jim Key said he'll support the rule change today, but he suggested city staff look at moving the bike path and sidewalks away from the steepest part of the road. Medford Public Works Director Cory Crebbin likes the proposed change, too. He said it would allow his department greater flexibility in approving or disapproving road projects as the city grows into the east hills. But Nielsen said he is worried about the problems a steep road would pose for emergency vehicles as well as pedestrians and bicyclists. And Ernie Garb, president of United Medford Citizens, said his group also is against the change. He decline to say why until tonight's meeting. Moore said he's just waiting for the city to resolve the issue. "We're just trying to get everything approved so we can get everything going one of these days," Moore said. "We're ready to go." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA