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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 4, 2005 McAndrews Road to be closed There will be a period of 24 days where McAndrews at Crater Lake Avenue will be completely closed down By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune An east-west arterial through Medford is expected to close for up to 24 days in August during a major renovation of McAndrews Road at the intersection of Crater Lake Avenue. Work is scheduled to begin Tuesday for the new $2.1 million concrete intersection. Both streets will be widened to create double left-turn lanes on northbound Crater Lake Avenue and eastbound McAndrews Road. "Tuesday night they’re going to start shifting traffic around," said Larry Beskow, city engineer. Because the surface will be concrete, not fast-drying asphalt, there will be some lane and street closures lasting for days. "There will be a period of 24 days where McAndrews will be completely closed down," said Beskow, adding that Crater Lake Avenue will experience lane closures in phases. The construction poses a challenge for intersection businesses such as Yummy Yan’s, which opened in the spring at the northeast corner. Advertisement Daniel Gan, assistant manager of Yummy Yan’s, said the street project likely will mean fewer customers at the new Chinese restaurant. "When people see you have construction they have a hard time finding a place to come in," said Gan. The intersection has been plagued by bumps, ripples and cracks in the asphalt caused by intense summer heat and heavy truck traffic. Concrete won’t ripple and also is expected to withstand 40 years of traffic, say city engineers. The first phase of the project will consist of closing half of the McAndrews leg on the west side in front of Providence Medford Medical Center, according to Dennis Hart, Medford’s public works design and construction manager. Hart said the plan includes leaving access to businesses to minimize impact to owners, and those details are still being ironed out by the contractor, LTM. Hart said there will be detour signs taking traffic to Covina Avenue and Spring Street when necessary. Increases in the cost of materials and fuel in the past six months have driven the price up from what was originally estimated to be $1.5 million, said Beskow. The project encountered some opposition when Providence objected to losing landscaping because of the added bike lanes. The Medford City Council in 2003 adopted a plan that eliminated bike lanes on the south leg of Crater Lake Avenue and the west leg of McAndrews Road. Instead there will be a 10-foot-wide multi-use path just inside the curb. There will be bike lanes on both sides of the road on the north leg of Crater Lake Avenue and the east leg of McAndrews Road. Cycling advocates fought the council decision, calling it a crucial but unsafe intersection for cyclists. McAndrews is one of the few streets connecting east Medford to west Medford, and similarly, Crater Lake Avenue is one of the few streets connecting north Medford to south Medford. According to 2000 figures, 23,000 cars travel McAndrews Road each day; 21,000 travel Crater Lake Avenue; and about 4,000 turns are made in each direction where the two streets cross. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail McAndrews Road to be closed ">[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 Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers dvd-r helzberg diamonds Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Auto Insurance Mesothelioma Home Equity Loans Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Canadian Pharmacy Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Mortgage Calculator Free Home-Loan Referrals Payday Loans Air Purifiers Advertisement s