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Intertie project to affect 99 traffic By Tony Boom Traffic slowdowns on Highway 99 south of Medford that will last until mid-summer are set to begin Saturday, Feb. 3, as pipeline installation for the $9-million Talent-Ashland-Phoenix water intertie project starts. Beginning at Belknap Road in Medford and moving south to the Colver and Suncrest roads intersection in Talent, traffic will be reduced from four lanes to two lanes in a 2,500-foot-long stretch during working hours. During evenings and weekends one northbound lane will be closed but both southbound lanes will be open. The water supply project includes a new 24-inch water line from south Medford to Talent, three new or enlarged pump stations and new 1 million gallon reservoirs in Talent and Phoenix. Ashland paid to upgrade the line size to allow for potential future use. Weekend work in the road will be an exception. The Feb. 3 and 4 dates are needed to meet Medford Water Commission requests. Daytime traffic restrictions are only planned for Mondays through Thursdays. Contractor James W. Fowler, Dallas, Ore., will work a four-day, 10-hour schedule. John Vial, Oregon Department of Transportation district manager for the Rogue Valley area, recommends that motorists consider alternative routes to Highway 99. "It�s a significant project that will cause a disruption to traffic," said Vial. Total blocking of traffic is not anticipated, according to Charlie Tucker, area utilities permit writer for ODOT. "A portable, changeable message sign will try to keep people appraised of what going on," said John Fowler, firm vice president. "It will be at the old drive-in theater on Highway 99 first. It will have advance warnings on start dates." The firm will also stay in touch with businesses along Highway 99 to warn them when they might expect traffic disruptions. Fowler and ODOT will meet regularly to evaluate traffic control. The firm provides the traffic control personnel and equipment. Fowler will cut out a full lane of asphalt to allow for pipe installation, then restore the lane. "It will be like we repaved the road," said Vial. Since mid-December, Fowler has worked on the Talent reservoir and a pipeline east of I-5 that will lead to the Phoenix reservoir, said Mario Serra, resident engineer for Montgomery Watson of Portland, which designed the project. "We�ve encountered quite a bit of rock heading up the hill so it has been a little slow," Serra said of the work off the Phoenix Siphon Frontage Road south of the Petro truck stop. Excavation work at the Talent reservoir will probably be completed in the next few days, Serra said. Construction of forms for the concrete work will begin next. The Talent site also included considerable rock excavation work. Some of the rocks have been saved for landscaping. Montgomery Watson will employ a full-time inspector when work begins along Highway 99, Serra said. "We�ve been fortunate that the weather has been very cooperative. If it continues this way they can finish (the whole project) in a year," he said. In addition to traffic interruptions, water service will be shut down for four to six hours to residents and businesses in a small area of south Medford to allow hookup to the existing Medford Water Commission pipeline at Belknap Road. The shutoff is tentatively set for Feb. 4. A new Harry and David building, KOGAP Enterprises Inc. and about 10 to 15 residents on Myers Lane will be affected by the shutoff. The Medford Water Commission will notify the affected customers of the exact time and date. Reach Ashland bureau reporter Tony Boom at 482-4651, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.