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Keeping up with growth takes planning By Gary Nelson By Mail Tribune Editorial Board Dec 18, 2022 12:00 AM A A Well, that didn’t take long. Remember when the South Medford freeway interchange was moved from Barnett Road to Garfield because the old interchange was no longer able to handle the volume of traffic? The new overpass opened 13 years ago. It’s now considered heavily congested. City and state officials are now planning to study a new overcrossing at South Stage Road, which might or might not include a new freeway interchange as well. That’s a sign of how fast Medford is growing, but it’s also a symptom of this city’s love-hate relationship with Interstate 5, which bisects the community while offering just two interchanges. When the new South Medford interchange was being planned, many critics said it made more sense to put it at South Stage Road. For a variety of reasons that didn’t happen, but the decision was made and we are now living with the consequences. An overpass at South Stage was always in the long-range plan, but not necessarily a freeway interchange. It makes sense to build a new east-west connection, especially as new development is already happening in the South Stage area. In addition, the “mega corridor” project that will widen and improve Foothill Road will offer an alternative to I-5 for local traffic. That project includes a connecting roadway from North Phoenix Road toward the freeway at the southern end of the corridor, and would provide a connection to South Stage if a new overcrossing is constructed. New housing developments are in the works to the east of North Phoenix Road, as well as around Centennial Golf Course, and new commercial development is happening around Home Depot east of the Phoenix interchange. City and state officials are prudently embarking on a major study of a potential South Stage project and how it would affect the South Medford interchange. Until those questions are answered, it’s premature to declare support for or opposition to something that hasn’t taken shape yet. But there is no question that increasing population has put pressure on the area’s road system. In 2009, when the “new” South Medford interchange opened, the city’s population was just over 73,000. Today, it’s estimated to be more than 86,000. At the same time, Jackson County’s population has grown from about 202,000 to more than 227,000. That increase in residents brings a corresponding jump in traffic, especially in and around the county’s largest city. Accommodating that traffic will mean big changes and major expense. It makes sense to study the implications before launching new projects.