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SUNNY Temp: 60 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Thursday, August 28, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection 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 Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend August 6, 2003 Cyclists criticize road plan Providence’s alternative porposal for the Crater-McAndrews intersection creates risks, they say By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune Providence Medford Medical Center continues to wrestle with city plans to widen a major intersection, and bicycle commuters and city engineers are speaking out. Providence Medford has submitted its own proposal for the road-widening project at the intersection of Crater Lake Avenue and McAndrews Road. Submitted to the city last week, it will be heard during the public hearing portion of Thursday’s City Council meeting. While the proposal, designed by Eugene engineer James R. Hanks, keeps some bike lanes, it eliminates two 5-foot bike lanes and replaces them with 10-foot-wide meandering multi-use paths through the corner property. "From a bicycle commuter standpoint, it does not make sense," said Bob Korfhage, president of the Siskiyou Velo bicycling club. Advertisement The plan also calls for shortening the proposed eastbound right-turn lane on McAndrews from approximately 280 feet to 180 feet to limit the hospital’s loss of parking and landscaping. Public works engineers say the proposal should be rejected because it would cause traffic turning southbound onto Crater Lake Avenue to back up on McAndrews. The $1.6 million concrete intersection project will widen both roads to create double left-turn lanes on northbound Crater Lake Avenue and eastbound McAndrews. The original city plans, which called for adding a right-turn lane for eastbound McAndrews and adding bike lanes, came before the City Council in May. The council considered modifying the road-widening plans at the behest of hospital officials by sacrificing planned bicycle lanes. Cycling advocates call it a crucial but unsafe intersection for cyclists, and it desperately needs bike lanes. The hospital’s proposed multi-use paths are not helpful to cyclists, said Korfhage. "We ride 15 to 20 miles per hour," he said. "We’re actually a danger on the multi-use path." In his letter to the mayor and council, Korfhage states: "Co-mingling bicycle commuters with in-line skaters, baby strollers, pedestrians, dog walkers, etc., is dangerous to all parties." Public Works Director Cory Crebbin said the hospital’s proposal does meet required codes and standards for bike lanes on an arterial street, and it is an improvement because there are no bike lanes there now, but "it’s not absolutely convenient from the perspective of the bicyclists." He said to re-do the drawings and make changes to engineering plans would cost the city $30,000 at the most, but that’s a high estimate. Chuck Wright, Providence Medford chief executive officer, was not available for comment Tuesday. Stuart Foster, the attorney representing Providence in this matter, said the hospital is trying "to accommodate the bike lanes but also to preserve the green space." "The original plan by the city was going to devastate the trees on both sides of the quadrant," he said. As proposed, the hospital’s plan will preserve the large red oak trees on the Crater Lake side and the two redwoods, said Foster. "We’re trying to be a good citizen there," said Foster. Crebbin said Providence has been cooperative in planning this project. "I think they’re trying to do the right thing," he said. Foster said it’s often a case of weighing competing concerns — in this case the city’s traffic needs and the livability of the community. He said the hospital is trying to balance the interests of the city, the hospital and the cyclists. The hospital’s plan will be heard at 7 p.m. Thursday in council chambers at City Hall, 411 W. Eighth St. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] Temporary fix won’t last long The clock is ticking on a temporary fix that will hold together only till spring. "My main concern is project timing," said Public Works Director Cory Crebbin. When the city resurfaced Crater Lake Avenue from East Main Street to Delta Waters Road in May, it included the Crater Lake Avenue amd McAndrews Road intersection, even though it’s scheduled for an overhaul. Not only was the asphalt becoming bumpy and wavy, but it was coming off in pieces. The temporary asphalt overlay will get the street into March before ripples and bumps reappear, said Crebbin. Crebbin said if the council approves a plan Thursday night, his department can modify the design, and the project can go out to bid in approximately three months. "December is not the ideal time to do a concrete intersection," he said, adding that the project would probably begin in the spring. 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 © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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