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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend June 3, 2005 Eric Leaming, pictured in mirror, who plans to attend the Oregon Institute of Technology, spent the better part of a year designing solutions to the traffic congestion on Highway 62 as part of his senior project for North Medford High School. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Going the extra mile A senior project goes above and beyond the required work; student spends 566 hours reconfiguring a highway By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune High school senior projects are often influenced by the interests of the students’ parents. But Eric Leaming has taken the notion to new heights. The son of Oregon Department of Transportation employee Gary Leaming has redesigned an entire highway corridor. "Spring break last year I was looking for a fourth-quarter drafting project and my dad said, ‘redesign Highway 62,’" said Eric, 18. The casual suggestion grew into a yearlong enterprise. The North Medford High School senior is scheduled to present his capstone project today to a panel of judges. Advertisement For years, ODOT engineers and transportation committees have been looking for viable solutions to the traffic congestion on Highway 62 from Delta Waters Road to Highway 140. Eric’s highway-corridor reconfiguration features six lanes and three intersections, including a cloverleaf where Highway 140 comes into Highway 62. His documentation includes engineering details required for real highway projects. Eric, who lives near the intersection of Delta Waters Road and Highway 62, said traffic moves much too slowly in that area. Students are required to keep track of the time they put into their project, and there is a 35-hour minimum requirement. Eric put in 566 hours. He said civil engineering is his idea of fun. "In my spare time I just look at interchange photos just to get some background," he said. The graduating senior said he plans to attend the Oregon Institute of Technology to study engineering, and that he’d like to work for a state transportation or private engineering firm building highways. Eric is one of the few students who is able to use the school’s PowerPoint equipment for his presentation, he said, because his project is so dependent upon it. Ralph Burrelle, activities director at North Medford High School, is one of the judges for senior projects. He said the students’ projects vary widely, from building an electric guitar to bringing a horse to school for an overall examination. "We do the senior project as a capstone activity, one that is the end result of a tremendous amount of work throughout the senior year," he said. "It gives students the opportunity to research in-depth an area of interest and in many cases gives them ideas about career direction." He said he thinks students learn a lot about following through and responsibility and independent study. Highway engineer Mike Arneson served as Eric’s mentor. Arneson, who was recently hired as staff engineer with the Idaho Transportation Department, was ODOT’s lead highway engineer for the southwest Oregon region. He worked on portions of Crater Lake Highway and Interstate 5 projects and helped design the new Highway 238. Arneson said Eric would ask him to help interpret a technical term in a design manual, but Eric did all the research, designing and math himself. "What he came up with is conceptually really close to the kinds of things experienced engineers come up with," he said. But the state transportation agency can’t exactly take Eric’s plans and run with them. "I didn’t have any financial or environmental restrictions," said Eric. "It’s definitely not ‘real world,’ " he added, noting that some of his roads just plow right through existing buildings. Meanwhile, ODOT staff is plugging away on solving the problems of Highway 62, said Gary Leaming, project information coordinator. Leaming said ODOT is working on alternatives, ranging from modifying the existing road to building a new road to doing nothing. He said alternatives are expected to be presented to the public this fall. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Advertisement s