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CLEAR Temp: 48 °F Wind: W at 8 mph Tuesday, April 1, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend March 28, 2003 The Coker Butte Road / Lear Way extension project Gap will exist in road extension By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune A road project approved by Medford City Council two years ago is finally around the corner, albeit with a couple of quirks. The Coker Butte Road/Lear Way extension will go to bid this month. The project will be funded in part by a $769,000 grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation. Sensitive habitat in the area slowed the project. "I was told by an engineer we could do this project with no wetland impacts," said Medford Public Works Director Cory Crebbin. "But we had had a dry year" when that assessment was made. After some rains, they learned they needed to hire a wetland consultant to come in and map the vernal pools. It took time to acquire permits from the Oregon Division of State Lands and the Army Corps of Engineers to relocate the pools, in order to protect threatened species like fairy shrimp, which live in and around vernal pools. So they’re back on track, with a Sept. 30 grant deadline pushing them on. The extensions of Lear Way and Coker Butte Road will cut through vacant land to meet west of Crater Lake Highway. Dennis Hart, Public Works design and construction manager, said the construction of a new five-lane extension of Coker Butte Road and a three-lane extension of Lear Way will begin in May. But the new road, part of a plan to alleviate congestion along Highway 62, especially at the Delta Waters Road intersection, will not do its job yet. "This is not going to be an immediate benefit," said Crebbin. Originally a private developer was planning to build a leg of Lear Way, stretching approximately 1,000 feet from Commerce Drive. But those plans have changed. "There’s going to be a gap. It’s not going to be connected," said Crebbin, adding, "it was a beautiful plan when it started." He said the city will build the final piece eventually if a developer doesn’t, but construction of that portion of Lear Way was not part of the grant. Another quirk is that the new Coker Butte Road extension will meet Highway 62 about 800 feet north of where the road currently intersects the east side of the highway. So they won’t be aligned. Eventually Coker Butte on the east side will bend north to line up with the new portion and there will be a signal at the intersection. All of this will help with traffic problems around the shopping center, according to ODOT District Manager John Vial. "You have a huge problem with a high volume of traffic trying to get on and off the highway at two locations, and that’s not enough," he said. Ultimately, Vial said, there will be three ways to access the shopping center from the highway: the existing intersection at Delta Waters Road, the new intersection at Coker Butte Road, and another intersection between the two at a new Owens Road, just north of Webfoot Road, which will tie into Springbrook Road, and the state and city are hopeful a private party will develop the road west of the highway into the shopping area. The current signal at Cardinal Avenue will be removed. Crebbin said there is no timeline for the projects. Vial said typically transportation projects are tackled in bits and pieces, like this one. "You got so much money you can get at a time," he said. "Go get what you can." Hart agreed. "It’s the art of incrementalism," he said. "Slowly but surely." Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S