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> By Damian Mann Mail Tribune September 12. 2014 2:00PM ODOT to study I-5 viaduct's viability $4 million study will examine if rerouting freeway is a better choice than reinforcing aging structure The Interstate 5 viaduct in Medford is a major West Coast transportation route; it's also a threat to come down in an earthquake, threatening traffic flow and the region's economy. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell A major earthquake could wipe out one of Jackson County’s most important bridges on Interstate 5: the 3,222-foot-long viaduct that cuts through the heart of Medford and serves as a critical link in the West Coast's primary north-south transportation corridor. The aging structure, built in 1962, already is an economic engine for the region, and transportation officials expect freight traffic on Interstate 5 to double by 2020. Because of its importance to West Coast traffic and worries about its longevity, the Oregon Department of Transportation plans to invest $4 million from the Oregon Transportation Commission to study ways to beef up the viaduct or provide other options for routing traffic in case it fails in an earthquake or requires upgrades. “I’ve been beating this drum for a long time,” said former Medford Councilor Al Densmore, who is a member of the local Metropolitan Planning Organization that among other things studies traffic needs. “This is an opportunity to re-envision Medford for the future.” The span has long been criticized as a concrete divider between east and west Medford, an earthquake hazard and a environmental threat to Bear Creek, which runs adjacent to and directly under the viaduct near downtown. Densmore and other local officials have searched for options to replace it with a new stretch of freeway that is not elevated, doesn’t conflict with Bear Creek and doesn’t slice through the city center. Because Medford's north-south routes via city streets are limited, about 40 percent of traffic on the viaduct is local traffic. Densmore said if money were no object, he would prefer to build a thoroughfare along Biddle Road immediately east of I-5. That likely would require cutting through Hawthorne Park and potentially displacing residences and the Medford Senior Center. “If money were no object, I would take the sucker down and improve the circulation through Medford,” he said. Densmore said the $4 million study will look at his idea and many others to lay out a framework for the future of the freeway through Medford. “The community needs to decide what is the best solution,” he said. In the past, officials have discussed building a tunnel to route traffic under a portion of Medford, though that idea has largely been discounted because of cost. Another option is to route the freeway to the west or through some other area. When the freeway was originally built, ODOT proposed siting it to the east, near Foothill Road. But Medford officials at the time feared that diverting freeway traffic so far east would damage the economic viability of the downtown. However, local officials also opposed a downtown interchange, which meant the freeway would be near downtown, but with no access to the city core. The Oregon Department of Transportation is seeking proposals from companies that would undertake the study. Once the study is concluded, Oregon could become eligible for federal dollars to improve or replace the viaduct. Cost estimates to replace the viaduct run in the hundreds of millions of dollars, so ODOT will also be looking for less expensive options. Those options include improving the viaduct to make it structurally sounder and to better handle expected increases in traffic. Transportation officials also will consider ways to reduce the amount of local traffic using the freeway as a north-south city route. Gary Leaming, spokesman for ODOT, said the study will explore a whole range of alternatives that will require numerous public meetings and consultations with Medford officials, residents, downtown businesses and the senior center. He said a key piece of the discussion will be to provide an alternative route in the event the viaduct is damaged and closed. “There’s no easy answers,” he said. The public process will likely take a year or two to gather the information before any recommendations are made. The loss of the viaduct in an earthquake would not only disrupt traffic, but would create significant economic damage to Jackson County, as traffic and resources likely would be diverted elsewhere. Medford Councilor Chris Corcoran said the city has already been told that the state of Oregon would put its energies into U.S. 97 after an earthquake because it anticipates many bridges along Interstate 5, including the viaduct, will fail. Highway 97, east of the Cascades, is a flatter route with fewer major bridges and is also farther removed from the expected source of earthquakes, the Cascadia subduction zone off the Oregon coast. “In the event of a disaster, a large magnitude earthquake, we could lose the viaduct,” Corcoran said. As to what should be done with the viaduct, Corcoran said he thought the only real option is to improve the existing structure to withstand a quake. “It’s a shame that we have to spend $4 million to say something has to be done,” he said. He said he didn’t think it would be possible to build a thoroughfare running north-south through Medford. Also, a tunnel would be prohibitively expensive, he said. Corcoran said the viaduct is a major problem for the city for a number of reasons. “It never should have been put there in the first place,” he said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476, or e-mail [email protected]. Follow him atwww.twitter.com/reporterdm. http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20140912/NEWS/140919875 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->