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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 1, 2005 While work continues past the deadline on the north Medford interchange project, highway officials say the final product will be a much needed improvement. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell On the road to completion The north I-5 interchange project missed its deadline Monday, but ODOT says it’s 90% done By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune Contractors on the north Medford interchange project did not meet the deadline of finishing before November. But highway officials say the project will still be considered a success. Monday was the scheduled completion date, but the project is only about 90 percent complete, said Gary Leaming, project information coordinator for the Oregon Department of Transportation. Leaming says delays are not uncommon, and he wishes that weren’t the case. Leaming said the contract allows ODOT to assess a $2,000-per-day penalty to contractor James W. Fowler Co. of Dallas, Ore., if the missed deadline is the contractor’s fault. He said once the project is complete, ODOT officials will meet with the contractor and will factor in weather-caused delays and change orders before determining charges. Attempts to reach the Fowler project manager for comment were unsuccessful. Advertisement Leaming said all the major work is finished, however, and the remaining portions consist primarily of work on Biddle Road and landscaping. The two-year, $36 million, interchange project gives drivers direct access between Interstate 5 and Highway 62, separating local and interstate traffic. By the time it’s completed, the construction will have gone on for nearly three years. In July 2003, ODOT began laying the groundwork for the project with demolition of a strip mall and a half-dozen buildings, including Denny’s, Carl’s Jr. and the Pony Soldier Inn. Of the project’s $36 million cost, $21 million was allocated for land acquisition of 31 properties and compensation to businesses for relocation. Project construction began in February 2004. The project included intermittent lane closures on the interstate and Highway 62, as well as freeway ramp closures and removal of two bridges formerly used by timber companies. There have been closures to city streets, including Biddle Road, Poplar Drive and Bullock Road, as well as the elimination of a portion of Hilton Road, and many detours. Widening Biddle Road and landscaping around the project will continue through the winter, with the completion of Biddle Road scheduled for spring 2006, when temperatures are warm enough for paving, according to ODOT. So was it worth it? "I think it was absolutely necessary for Medford," said Mike Burrill, who serves on local and statewide transportation boards. He said the former interchange configuration was clogged with traffic from Highway 62, which carries more than 70,000 vehicles per day. He said those traffic numbers are expected to double over the next 20 years. "It was bad to begin with and it would have been impossible," said Burrill. He said the project was well-engineered, given it had to work around so many established businesses and streets. "It was not an easy one to do, when you have Biddle Road and all the things around it there," he said. Cory Crebbin, public works director, also said the new interchange is an improvement. "From a traffic engineer’s standpoint they needed to do that and they’re doing it right," he said. He said drivers expect to go from an interstate to a highway and then onto city streets. The old configuration put drivers from the interstate onto a city street and then onto a highway. It was confusing and easy to find yourself on the wrong road, he said. Leaming said there’s still a bridge rail on Highway 62 to complete, driveways onto Bullock Road, widening Biddle Road, construction of curbs, gutters and sidewalks and landscaping remaining for the project. He said ODOT, which has generally discontinued putting in landscaping around road projects as a cost-saving measure, will plant vegetation around the north interchange because it’s a main gateway to Medford. He said the city is paying for the water and will maintain the narrow strips along the ramps, while ODOT will maintain the larger open spaces. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail On the road to completion ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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