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Goals aim to ease congestion photo by Bob Pennell By Jessica Smith Better bicycle and pedestrian routes, better-timed traffic signals and better public transit � all are goals that accompany new state standards for congestion at the freeway interchange on Barnett Road. State plans for work on Barnett to begin in 2005 The cloud over a plan to fix the Barnett Road freeway interchange may be lifting. In a draft of the state�s Transportation Improvement Plan, the $30 million project is slotted for construction in 2005. The STIP must work its way through public hearings around the state before it�s adopted. A hearing is set for 6:30 p.m. March 12 at the Rogue Valley Medical Center�s Smullin Center. State transportation officials last year were uncertain whether the interchange overhaul would be included in the STIP. In a deal worked out with the state, Medford would use public and private sources to pay half the project cost. The state would pick up the rest of the bill. The state has yet to select a solution to congestion at Barnett, although the two remaining proposals call for moving the interchange farther south. The draft STIP is available for review at the Oregon Department of Transportation�s site at www.odot.state.or.us on the Web. Local and state transportation officials are beginning work on the package deal � 13 projects approved in December by the Oregon Transportation Commission. "We developed what we felt were doable actions," said Dan Moore, a Rogue Valley Council of Governments planner who manages the regional transportation planning group that drafted the project list. Each of the 13 projects addresses objectives outlined in the state�s highway plan, including improved traffic flow, street connections and safety; and reduced reliance on automobiles. Cory Crebbin, the city�s public works director, said projects that provide more bicycle lanes and improve sidewalks likely will be most significant for Medford. "Barnett (Road) has a screaming need for bike lanes" though it may be difficult to squeeze them in, Crebbin added. Still, the city needs an east-to-west path to encourage bicyclists. Improving the timing of traffic signals along Barnett would make a big difference to motorists, Crebbin said. From Alba Drive to Riverside Avenue, there are four lights that control traffic on Barnett. Crebbin said the goal is to time traffic signals so cars don�t stack up at red lights. One of the most challenging projects on the list, from the city�s point of view, seeks solutions to congestion at the Stewart Avenue-Highway 99 intersection. Stewart is a city street; Highway 99 is a state highway. Dealing with the disparity in traffic volumes on Stewart and Highway 99 is cause for most of the headache, said Crebbin. Traffic in the past decade has increased 50 percent on Stewart west of the Highway 99 intersection, Crebbin said. Construction of the South Gateway Center led to 95 percent more cars on Stewart east of the intersection. Those figures compare to a 5 percent increase in traffic on Highway 99 in the same period. The Stewart-Highway 99 intersection, however, got a break late last year when the state set new standards for congestion there and at the south Medford freeway interchange. The Medford City Council endorsed the new guidelines in December. The new rules, which permit slow-moving traffic up to four hours a day, are intended to reflect what�s experienced at the Barnett interchange. Worries about congestion have stopped the city in recent years from approving developments expected to funnel rush-hour traffic through the interchange. Some of the city�s recommendations Here�s a closer look at some of the13 projects that could help reduce congestion at the freeway interchange on Barnett Road: Improve bicycle and pedestrian routes near the interchange. Possible projects include connections to the Bear Creek Greenway, bicycle lanes on Barnett Road and improved street crossings. Implement the city�s regional transportation plan, which includes some 40 road projects that address street connectivity and alternative transportation. Establish an association to identify public transit options and incentives for local employers in the interchange area. Find funding for more frequent bus service in the Rogue Valley Transportation District. The full project list is available at the Oregon Department of Transportation�s development division. Call 503-986-4121 for more information. Reach reporter Jessica Smith at 776-4481, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.