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No easy road A decision is near about plans for a new freeway interchange for south Medford. The most likely option may prompt a fight, but the other choices also have detractors By JILL BRISKEY Mail Tribune No matter which option the South Medford Interchange Solution Team selects this month, the choice is sure to draw fire. Some of that heat may come from the Eastside Neighborhood Coalition. Highland resident Dick Simonson said if the state decides to build a new interchange, his organization will find some legal way to stop it. "It goes back to the old saying, you can't fight city hall," said Simonson. "But we're going to fight it." According to Gary Leaming, an information specialist with the Oregon Department of Transportation, the solution team will meet and announce its decision by Jan. 31. No meeting date has been set. The team favors moving the interchange south to connect with Garfield Street on the west side of the freeway and with Highland Drive on the east. The team has two other options: directing the state to make minor safety improvements to the existing interchange - the so-called no-build option - or to realign the interchange to connect with Ellendale Drive. In October, ODOT released the first draft of an environmental impact statement that examined the impacts of each alternative. The release opened the door to a 30-day public comment period, which was later extended at the request of city officials and residents. During the comment session, oral and written testimony on the proposed project was taken from community members. Leaming said that information will be reviewed by the South Medford Interchange Solution Team and the Citizens Advisory Committee when the comment period ends Monday at 5 p.m. "The project team will go over the outstanding issues that have been brought up," he said. "At that point, the design process gets rammed up another notch." According to Environmental Project Manager Greg Holthoff, ODOT has received letters, e-mails and oral testimony from more than 200 residents. Holthoff anticipates receiving at least 50 more before the comment period ends Monday. Residents still have time to e-mail ODOT regarding project concerns or suggestions. The e-mail address is [email protected]. The deadline is 5 p.m. Monday. Holthoff said all comments - received from community members and local, state and federal agencies - will be reviewed, categorized and finally incorporated into the final environmental impact statement. Once an alternative is selected, Leaming said, ODOT will begin addressing a variety of concerns that include pedestrian safety, sidewalk location, bike paths, safety and traffic issues. The state, city and residents will begin working together to create a detailed design plan for the final environmental impact statement, Leaming added. "It would be a joint effort to come up with the best design," he said. "Now we can focus our attention on how things are going to fit." Leaming said he's unsure when the final statement will be released, perhaps late summer. Once it's made official, ODOT will begin the process of negotiating for rights of way and complete its designs before going out to bid. The state anticipates breaking ground sometime in 2005. The $50 million project will take approximately two years to complete. During construction, Leaming said, traffic along Interstate 5 shouldn't experience many delays. Much of the work will take place along Barnett Road, he added. "A lot of the improvements will be off the main roadways," Leaming said. "The priority, obviously, is to keep the freeway open." Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.