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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend June 22, 2005 Cyclists enjoy a smooth ride on new asphalt at Blue Heron Park in Phoenix. This section of the Bear Creek Greenway will be completed by mid-July, but the final 1.5-mile leg to Barnett Road will have to wait for the south Medford interchange. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli THE WAITING GAME I-5 south interchange work stalls completion of Greenway; group vows to find a way around it By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Richard Ripper will have to wait a few more years before he can safely cycle to work from Ashland to Medford. Like many supporters of the Greenway, the Medford optometrist was looking forward to completion of the last leg of the 18.5-mile trail along Bear Creek in 2006. His hopes were dashed when it became clear recently that the upcoming construction of a new interchange at south Medford will stall the opening of the final link until 2008. "It’s frustrating," said Ripper, who spends more than two hours cycling to and fro each day. "It’s especially frustrating in the evening when you’re competing with traffic." Greenway supporters hoped to come up with a temporary bypass, but because of major construction around the interchange, an easy solution hasn’t been forthcoming. Advertisement "I wish it would be done next year, but it will be done in 2008," said county Greenway coordinator Karen Smith. Work will be completed on a section at the Blue Heron Park through Phoenix in the middle of July, making it possible to walk or cycle from the new Medford sports park to Ashland without leaving the trail. Pedestrians and cyclists can also traverse the paved, 10-foot-wide trail from Barnett Road in Medford to Central Point at East Pine Street. When completed, the Greenway’s cost will total $22 million, amounting to just over $1 million a mile. Most of the money has come from the federal government. Only a 1.5-mile portion remains to be built from the new Medford sports park to Barnett Road. About one mile of that remaining section will be finished by 2007, but a half-mile link to Barnett will have to wait until 2008. Greenway supporters have the $2 million needed for this final phase. "It’s heartbreaking," said Joy Olson, executive director of the Bear Creek Greenway Foundation. "The only missing piece is just here in Medford." She has vowed to find a way to make a temporary detour during construction of the interchange and the rebuilding of the Barnett Road overpass. "We’re trying to be as creative as possible," she said. "But one of the big problems is getting across Bear Creek." An interim, but circuitous solution proposed by the foundation is a detour that follows South Stage Road near the sports park to Kings Highway to West Stewart Avenue and eventually to Ninth Street. Smith said a proposal to build a temporary bypass was scuttled when the Oregon Department of Transportation raised safety concerns about people walking or riding under two bridges over Bear Creek that are being repaired. "The only safe way is to wait for those two bridges to be built," Smith said. "We have waited 32 years, so another couple of years to build that final link is nothing." ODOT area manager Art Anderson said about $1.5 million should be left to build the final half-mile stretch to Barnett Road, which might mean there is enough money to build a small section of trail under the Barnett overpass. Current plans are for pedestrians and cyclists to cross over Barnett Road. The path will be bid along with the $70 million interchange to get the best deal from the contractor, he said. Although Greenway officials have expressed concern about escalating costs to complete the path, Anderson said ODOT would make sure it gets done. "If this runs over a bit we’ll cover the costs," he said. Information about the Greenway trail can be found at www.bearcreekgreenway.com Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, 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 Reviews Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy online casino Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Reservationstogo Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Natto Kinase Nattokinase Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Investments & Loans Advertisement s