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CLOUDY Temp: 40 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Saturday, December 21, 2002 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 November 21, 2002 Department of Transportation inspector Dan Boyle, left, and truck spotter John Phariss keep an aye on traffic along Interstate 5. The work is in preparation for a five-month overhaul of the I-5 viaduct beginning in January. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli ROAD WORK AHEAD Viaduct work begins in earnest in early January Preliminary work this week gave motorists a glimpse of how the five-month project this winter may slow traffic By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Motorists have gotten a taste this week of coming traffic conditions along the Medford viaduct as construction crews completed work that paves the way for a five-month, $8 million modernization project. Working at night, Wildish Standard Paving Co. of Eugene ground down and repaved shoulder areas along Interstate 5 near both ends of the viaduct. The company expected to wrap up the work Wednesday night. This will beef up the shoulders so they can withstand the traffic diverted from the main roadway when full-scale construction starts on Jan. 2. The ‘50s-era viaduct will get a major overhaul as construction crews work round the clock to replace the 3,222-foot-long road surface, improve the seismic strength of the structure and make other improvements. To complete the work, the Oregon Department of Transportation plans to shut down one lanein each direction for five months, creating congestion for up to two miles. For the preliminary shoulder work, crews closed a southbound lane from 7 p.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday, and then closed a northbound lane Wednesday night. None of the work took place on the viaduct, only on the shoulder areas leading up to it. ODOT expected only minor traffic delays. Once major work begins Jan. 2, ODOT anticipates traffic could be backed up as far back as two miles, creating stop-and-go conditions at times. Gary Leaming, ODOT project information specialist, hopes that many of the 45,000 vehicles that use the viaduct daily will find alternate routes. If they don’t, he said, traffic conditions could be worse than expected. Local traffic amounts to an estimated 40 percent of vehicle volume on I-5. "People need to plan ahead and use alternate routes," he said. Motorists can also consider using bus and van service provided by Rogue Valley Transportation District. Bill Boyett, a public service representative for ODOT, said, "Very few people can grasp the kind of traffic conditions we’re talking about." The speed limit will be reduced to 45 miles per hour through the construction area, but Boyett said, "By the nature of the backup it’ll probably be a lot slower." Boyett said ODOT has worked with police, fire and emergency officials to develop a plan in case there is a traffic-blocking accident or other problem on the viaduct. Emergency vehicles will be able to travel down the lane construction crews are working on. It will be separated from the traffic lane by a concrete barrier. The entire concrete surface will be ground down with a high-pressure stream of water and replaced with a new layer of concrete with a life expectancy of 40 years. "What we’re trying to do is go down just a couple of inches," Boyett said. In some areas, cracks could extend through the entire 8-inch-thick deck, requiring crews to dig out all the bad concrete they find. The structural integrity of the bridge will be scrutinized and repaired during the process. Bridge rails will be modernized to improve safety, and new concrete barriers will be installed in the center of the roadway. Seismic retrofit work will tie in the roadway deck to vertical piers. Seven piers in and near Bear Creek will get erosion protection for flood conditions. For traffic information on the viaduct, ODOT has installed four web cameras that can be viewed at www.tripcheck.com Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Shady Cove Bridge resurfacing reduces traffic to one lane SHADY COVE — The Shady Cove Bridge, built after the 1964 flood, will be resurfaced and new lighting will be installed during a three-month construction project that starts Dec. 2. During construction, only one lane of traffic will be allowed across the Highway 62bridge, with a flagger during the day and a traffic light at night to control vehicle crossings. Gary Leaming, ODOT project information specialist, said the $540,000 project will concentrate on grinding down the old road surface and replacing it with a new layer of concrete. ODOT also will install decorative lighting along the bridge. The lighting was paid for by the city of Shady Cove at a cost of $47,000. The project is scheduled to end March 15. Leaming said freezing temperatures shouldn’t slow the project. Protective covers can be placed over the freshly poured concrete, and heaters help the curing process. 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 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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