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Jacksonville bypass subject of hearing today A public hearing to discuss the Jacksonville bypass route will begin at 9 a.m. today in the auditorium at the Jackson County courthouse. The Jackson County Board of Commissioners is expected this week to support the northern route, now called the northwest arterial connector, said Laurel Prairie-Kuntz, planning manager. Commissioners also will address a change in the comprehensive plan to allow the proposed road to cross a pear orchard zoned exclusively for farm use. The Planning Commission approved the changes last December. It's long been a dream of the city of Jacksonville to route traffic away from the historic brick buildings in downtown. The first public hearing on a bypass was held in 1963. The bypass is expected to make the state's funding list for highway projects in 2001, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation. If it does, the highway could be built within 10 years. The city of Jacksonville in 1995 approved the "northern route," which would leave Jacksonville Highway near the city limits, cross Old Stage Road and rejoin Highway 238 at its intersection with Pair-a-dice Ranch Road. Many people, particularly those who live in the vicinity of the proposed northwest bypass, favor a southern route, which would come from Hanley Road near Bybee Corners, cross at the old landfill on South Stage Road, follow Sterling Creek Road and rejoin Highway 238 near Cady Road. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA