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Last chance to speak up about Fern Valley Road PHOENIX -- If you have an opinion about how Fern Valley Road should connect with Highway 99, Monday's 7:30 p.m. meeting is the last chance to express your views to the City Council during consideration of the city's comprehensive transportation system plan. Transportation planners say a long-term solution must be found to the problem posed at the intersection of Cheryl Lane, Highway 99 and Fern Valley Road, the site of 23 accidents in a three-year period from 1995-1997. In May, the Planning Commission endorsed the idea of rerouting Fern Valley Road traffic down East Bolz Road to intersect Highway 99 at the new post office. The current traffic signal would be moved to the new intersection, the existing road connection removed. This appears to be the only alternative to aligning Fern Valley Road with Cheryl Lane, which would cut through a portion of the Exxon gas station and Ray's Sentry Market parking lot. These two affected businesses are split on this option, with Exxon representatives strongly opposed and Ray's saying they didn't have a preference. The Cheryl Lane realignment option was strongly opposed by a citizens advisory committee earlier this year. Instead, the committee proposed limiting turns into and out of Cheryl Lane to right-turn only in order to make the intersection safer. As illustrated in the transportation plan, the East Bolz realignment option would require the removal of at least two houses on that road. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA