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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Blogs Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Multimedia Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Road Cams Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Women in Business Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend March 16, 2007 Click image for larger view Asphalt on Highway 62 that was laid as part of Medford�s north interchange is deteriorating and will need to be removed and replaced at a cost of about $500,000. (Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell) Square One Oil keeps pooling on the surface of Highway 62 at the north Medford interchange; the paving project must be redone By Meg Landers Mail Tribune Two years after the asphalt was laid for Medford's $36-million north interchange project, much of it will have to be removed and replaced, and who will pick up the tab for the half-million-dollar job is undetermined. "The symptom is that the oil (in the asphalt) has come to the surface," said Dave Mydtling, vice president and general manager for LTM, which paved the interchange. Officials from the Oregon Department of Transportation and LTM are investigating why oil in the asphalt mix is separating and pooling, or "flushing" along Highway 62. ODOT says the problem at this point is just visual, but it will lead to rutting if the asphalt isn't replaced. If LTM mixed the asphalt improperly, the company will have to pick up the bill for the repaving. If ODOT ordered the wrong material, the state will have to come up with the money, said Gary Leaming, ODOT's project information coordinator. ODOT officials first noticed problems in the paving in 2006. Leaming said ODOT has performed skid tests on the pavement and determined the problem does not affect driver safety. Advertisement In June, the Oregon Department of Transportation and LTM will remove the old asphalt and repave roughly half a mile of Highway 62 from just west of the interchange to near the Guitar Center store, Leaming. said The work will take about one week and be done at night. Traffic lanes are expected to remain open during the daytime. Leaming said only the highway will be repaved, not the side streets or ramps, because only the highway asphalt is flushing. The concrete portions will remain intact. Midtlyng said for state highway projects like the north Medford interchange, ODOT tells the asphalt supplier what kind of mix to provide. He thinks there's too much oil in the mix, and that ODOT made a bad call. The same asphalt would have been fine in other regions of the state that don't see the high summer temperatures the Rogue Valley does. "The climate here is different than the rest of the state," he said. "You're more apt to see the problem." Leaming said there should be a determination of who is financially responsible in early May. The asphalt problem is not the first complication for the interchange. The general contractor, James W. Fowler Co. of Dallas, is putting finishing touches on the landscaping, but faces possible penalties for being a year and a half behind the project deadline. Demolition to make way for the project began in 2003, and construction began in 2004, with an original completion date of October 2005. The contract allows ODOT to assess a $2,000-per-day penalty to the contractor if the missed deadline is the contractor's fault. 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. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] . Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2007 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Trunks, Footlocker Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Casinos Canada Cord Blood Banking Discount Hotel Reservations Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Men's Clothing Debt Help New Hampshire Primary