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District school board flunks I-5 project By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune PHOENIX - School board members have denounced plans for a new south Medford interchange, charging shortsighted transportation planning that could raise potential busing problems for the district. "Closing the Barnett interchange and moving the interchange south does nothing for current traffic and future traffic," said board Chairman Craig Prewitt. The Oregon Department of Transportation proposes moving the south interchange to connect with Ellendale or Highland drives, placing the project partially within the boundaries of the school district, which serves part of Medford. The board adopted a resolution recently declaring its opposition. The resolution cites the long-range impacts to the region from having only two interchanges in Medford and abandoning the Barnett Road offramp and pushing it farther south. "A city the size of Medford will have the same number of interchanges as Gold Hill," said Prewitt. "It doesn't make sense to use public money to close down one intersection to build another." His district is worried about busing problems for students at Orchard Hill Elementary School, Phoenix High School and Talent Middle School. Traffic is already a problem on the Phoenix interchange, a few miles south of Barnett Road. With future expansion planned in the area, the district envisions those problems just getting worse. "We as a board are concerned about getting our kids to school in a timely manner," said Prewitt. "We don't want kids to have to wait around for 30 minutes." The resolution asks ODOT and the Medford Planning Commission to keep the current interchange and consider adding another south of Barnett Road. ODOT spokesman Gary Leaming said plans for relieving congestion at the south interchange have come after years of public input. "It still doesn't preclude putting an interchange at South Stage Road," he said. ODOT plans to begin work on the Phoenix interchange next summer by installing traffic lights to improve the bottleneck on the offramps. Medford schools Superintendent Steve Wisely said his school board decided not to take any formal action for or against the interchange. "It probably wouldn't have any impact on the Medford School District," he said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.