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Goal: decongest Highway 62 Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Engineers planning the future of the North Medford interchange and Highway 62 have unveiled details of three ambitious alternatives for dealing with traffic congestion between Interstate 5 and White City. Among the options are a new highway paralleling Highway 62 and a complete overhaul of the freeway interchange, shown here looking east on Highway 62 from the I-5 overpass. State down to 3 options for improvements By Chris Bristol Long ago, Highway 62 became better known as a traffic-congested mess than as the gateway to Crater Lake. It�s even busier than Interstate 5. Of course, you knew this already. Or suspected it, at least. Anybody who commutes between Medford and White City � heck, anybody who just wants to do some shopping at Costco � knows how busy the highway is and what a mess it is. Now is your chance to do something about it. Seeking input from the public, an Oregon Department of Transportation bus called the "InfoMobile" hits the road in 10 days to publicize three recently polished construction proposals designed to relieve Highway 62�s congestion for years to come. And the finalists are: Construction of an expressway (using the old Medco Haul Road) running parallel to the existing highway from Medford to White City. Improvements to the existing highway, including overpasses at busy intersections such as Vilas Road. A combination of the two. Regardless which plan ODOT picks, all three proposals envision a massive reworking of the I-5 interchange. The interchange alternatives are designed to eliminate obstacles and let traffic flow smoothly between I-5 and Highway 62. Additionally, all three proposals envision a new road behind Costco linking Lear Way and Biddle Road, via Bullock Road. Part of that road near the airport runway might have to be a tunnel. ODOT�s Solutions Team unveiled the proposals in September, paring the list from dozens of scenarios once under consideration. Since then, traffic engineers have been busy fleshing out the nitty gritty. "We�ve worked out enough of the details now that we feel comfortable presenting it to people," said Jason Franklin, a spokesman for ODOT project consultant Pacific Rim Resources. "As we go through the public process, there will be more details that obviously need to be worked out." The InfoMobile�s first stop will be June 10 at Wal-Mart, one of several "big box" retail stores (including Costco and Eagle Hardware) that have contributed to much of the traffic crush at the intersection of Delta Waters Road. On the following day, June 11, the InfoMobile will stop at the Rogue Valley Mall. ODOT officials also will meet with property owners affected by the proposals June 12 and 13. The project is expected to cost more than $100 million. ODOT already has more than $22 million to begin the first leg, reworking the I-5 interchange and improving intersections at Poplar Drive and Delta Waters. Voters in the May primary overwhelmingly defeated a proposed gas tax increase, leaving project financing somewhat up in the air. ODOT estimates the highway�s traffic will double in the next 20 years from its current tally of more than 37,000 vehicles a day. "The rest of the money still needs to be identified, as is the case with many of these big projects," Franklin said. The Solutions Team is expected to identify the winning proposal later this year, probably in the fall. Construction could begin as soon as 2002 and no later than 2003, ODOT officials have said. The Highway 62/north interchange project is one of three major highway projects on tap for Medford. Construction on the first, a new Jacksonville Highway beginning near the Rogue Valley Mall, began this spring. The other is an overhaul of the south Medford interchange, now in the planning stage. To learn more Here�s how to find out more about the Highway 62 project and proposed alternatives: Visit the Web site: www.odot.state.or.us/region3public/highway62 The site has maps and details on all the alternatives, as well as a link where people can submit comments. Visit the ODOT "InfoMobile" June 10 and 11: A converted RVTD bus with details about the project will be at Wal-Mart on Crater Lake Highway from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 10, and at the Rogue Valley Mall 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 11. Attend a meeting: ODOT�s Citizens Advisory Committee meets at 6 p.m. July 10 at the White City-Jackson County Auditorium; call 664-6672, Ext. 243, for details. The Solutions Team, which will choose the final alternative, meets at 1:30 p.m. July 11 at the ODOT Jackson County office at White City; call Jim Hanks at 858-9679 for details about setting up a question/comment session. See the video: A tape describing the project and related issues is available by calling Hanks. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA