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Interchange will close Mail Tribune / Drew Fleming By JILL BRISKEY State officials will close the north Central Point interchange at Blackwell Road to repair the bridge this winter, a project that may inconvenience local businesses who rely exclusively on the structure for Interstate 5 access. According to Debbie Timms, a project leader with the Oregon Department of Transportation, work is expected to begin on the Seven Oaks overpass in December. Crews will replace the surface of the bridge. The overpass was built in the 1960s and hasn't been improved since. "The deck is deteriorating," Timms said. "We don't want to get to the point where there's weight restrictions." That could create difficulties for Central Point-based LTM Inc., a company that produces asphalt. LTM has an asphalt pit on Blackwell and Kirkland roads and truckers use the north Central Point interchange almost exclusively. General manager and Vice President Dale Lininger said the closure will force drivers to use alternate, sometimes time-consuming routes. "It creates quite a roundabout truck route for us," Lininger said. While the bridge's surface is being removed, crews will limit traffic to one lane in each direction of travel. Those closures aren't expected to last more than a few hours at a time, Timms said. ODOT will also install a chain-link screen on either side of the bridge. Timms said the Seven Oaks overpass may be one of the few structures along I-5 in Oregon that does not have a screen to protect motorists from objects thrown from the bridge. ODOT will take bids on the $800,000 project next month. Construction should be completed in February. The interchange, which allows drivers immediate access to Blackwell and Willow Springs roads, will remain closed during the entire process. Lininger said his employees will be forced to use alternate routes. Drivers heading to west Medford or Jacksonville must use the Central Point interchange at Pine Street. Truckers heading to White City may choose between the Central Point or North Medford interchanges. Other routes include taking Kirkland Road to Table Rock Road, then connecting to Crater Lake Avenue. Drivers heading south from the northern parts of the county must use the Gold Hill interchange. All that commuting is expected to cost money in the form of lost time and gas, Lininger said, adding that at this point it is impossible to come up with a dollar amount. Central Point City Administrator Jim Bennett doesn't anticipate traffic problems in downtown Central Point due to the temporary closure of the interchange. "There may be times when (big trucks) are coming down Pine Street," Bennett said. "I don't think we have any worries because it's temporary and in winter traffic tends to be slower." Timms said that's exactly why ODOT chose to start the project during the winter months. Both Central Point city officials and local businesses were told about the upcoming project last year, Timms said. Lininger said he's glad ODOT was willing to work with local companies and did not chose to start construction in the summer. "Our work is weather-sensitive, and in the throes of winter, the demand isn't as high," he said. Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.