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Corey Road access from Highway 62 closed Wednesday Aug 16, 2017 at 10:55 AM Aug 16, 2017 at 4:23 PM Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune @RyanPfeil Access to Corey Road from Highway 62 is closed due to construction on the new Highway 62 bypass between Medford and White City. The intersection is southwest of White City near the Agate Road turnoff. The section of Crater Lake Avenue between Corey Road and Fowler Lane is also closed, according to the Jackson County Sheriff's Department. Motorists needing to get to Corey Road can still access it but will need to detour from Highway 62 to Fowler Lane, which is now connected. They will then drive east on Fowler Lane to Domino Road and make a left, which will take them back to Corey Road. "Please watch your speed on Fowler Lane and Domino Road, especially at the 90-degree corner where the roads intersect," the Sheriff's Department advised. "These rural roads aren't used to heavy traffic." The detour will likely be in effect until the end of September, according to Oregon Department of Transportation spokesman Gary Leaming. "People need to be doubly aware of the different traffic flow," Leaming said. Formally entitled the "Oregon 62: I-5 to Dutton Road project," the $120 million endeavor is intended to reduce traffic in the corridor by building a 4-lane route that ultimately connects Poplar Drive, a stone's throw from the north Medford interchange at Exit 30, to Corey Road. "Increasing traffic in the (Highway 62) corridor is causing safety and congestion problems," a project document said. "Through traffic — about 45 percent of all traffic — is hindered, especially in the commercial/business area. Several intersections have above-average crash rates." The project will be completed sometime next year, Leaming said. Upon completion, the expressway will follow the same route as the old Medco Haul Road, running parallel to Highway 62 west of businesses such as Lowe's and Walmart, with an overpass at Coker Butte Road. The Corey Road closure is part of the second phase of construction, with the first focusing on a section of roadway from Poplar Drive to just south of Vilas Road. — Reach reporter Ryan Pfeil at 541-776-4468 or [email protected]. Follow him at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil.