Document text
54 °F 5 Day Forecast Friday, November 28, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend October 12, 2003 Alternative routes urged asPine Street Bridge work begins By BUFFY POLLOCK for the Mail Tribune CENTRAL POINT — Work to replace the older half of the Pine Street Bridge over Bear Creek will begin Monday, reducing three lanes of traffic to two for up to 18 months. Jackson County engineer Dale Petrasek urged motorists to consider alternate routes between Central Point and Medford, such as Highway 99 or Interstate 5, rather than East Pine Street and Biddle Road. "Anyone doing business in the area, we strongly encourage them to continue, but if they can access the area using a different route, they should try to do so," Petrasek said. The $4.1 million project, to be done by Ross Brothers Construction of Salem, was approved prior to the May 2002 bridge closure. Eighty percent of the project will be funded under the Federal Bridge Replacement program with the remaining 20 percent funded by the county. Advertisement The bridge was unexpectedly closed after a state engineers’ study in February 2002 revealed that the half-century old span could fail catastrophically. At the time of its closure, the aging bridge was handling heavier traffic loads than the 80,000 pounds allowed at the time of its construction. Though replacement was originally set to begin in May 2005, county officials managed to knock between 12 and 18 months off permitting and planning processes because of the bridge’s important link for local commerce. With construction set for completion by September, county engineer Mike Kuntz said the new bridge would actually be in use once again as a five-lane span eight months earlier than the project’s original start date. Made up of two bridges, the portion of the bridge being replaced was built in 1946. The newer adjacent three-lane bridge was built less than an inch away in the 1980s. Petrasek said an estimated 28,000 vehicle trips are made over the bridge daily. Beginning Monday the three remaining lanes of traffic (two eastbound and one westbound) will be reduced to one in each direction. "During rush hour it’s going to be quite a back-up as far as those two lanes trying to handle what four used to," Petrasek said. "The more people that can avoid the area, the better it’s going to be, but I want to stress that if people are doing business in the area they should continue to do so." Petrasek said the benefits of building a detour bridge for use during the project were outweighed by the fact such a project would have added eight or more months and $700,000 to $1 million to the project’s time and cost. Petrasek said the first three weeks of the project would see the most traffic delays with barriers being moved and equipment set up. Thereafter, Petrasek said delays would only be caused by the reduction in lanes. Construction will take place daily between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Buffy Pollock is a free-lance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [email protected] 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 | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times