Transportation System Plan 2018-2038

System based on freight volum e, connectivity and linkag es to m ajor interm odal facilities. Interstate 5 is the only highway in the Medford UGB that has been designated as a State Freight Highway . The Rogue Valley area’s 2001-2023 Rogue Valley Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) identified additional routes that are considered to be of regional significance for the m ovem ent of freight. These routes are illustrated in Figure 3-4 in the existing transportation conditions chapter. According to the RTP, of freight-related firm s with m ore than 100 em ployees in the regional planning area, only one company is m ore than ¼ m ile from a designated freight route. Within the Medford UGB, areas with significant com mercial and m anufacturing activity are generally located near the I-5 interchanges, along Highway 99 or along Highway 62, resulting in heavy truck volum es on these facilities. Because of their location within industrial and com mercial corridors, Bi ddle Road and Table Rock Road also experience a high volum e of truck activity . The 2001-2023 Rogue Valley Regional Transportation Plan identifies 10 locations within the RVMPO area that are currently experiencing the highest volum es of truck traffic. Six of these locations are within the Medford UGB and include: • Highway 99 and McAndrews Road • Biddle Road and Table Rock Road • Highway 62 and Highway 99 • Interstate 5 ram p term inal and Highway 62 • Court Street and Main Street • Biddle Road and Airport Road According to the Rogue Valley Freight Study , one of the m ost serious issues facing freight transportation in the region is the declining condition of Interstate 5, particularly its bridges. Many of the bridges on the I-5 sy stem are cracked and need to be repaired or replaced. In the interim before replacem ent, weight restrictions have been put in place in a num ber of locations and detours established for heavier tractors and trailers. Other weaknesses that have been identif ied with the freight transportation sy stem in the Medford area include: the lack of viable altern ative routes when regular routes are blocked during construction (such as the experience with I-5 duri ng the 2003 viaduct seism ic retrofit project through Medford); daily out-of-direction travel to avoid bottlen ecks and congestion; and restrictions that prevent the m ovem ent of oversized freight at certain tim es. In a shipper survey conducted for the Rogue Valley Freight Study very specific problem locations were identified and som e suggestions were made for improve ments. The m ain issues raised generally related to congestion (particularly on Highway 62), difficult or awkwardly designed intersections at various locations (including Crater Lake Avenue at Vilas Road, and the right turn from Stewart Avenue to northbound Highway 99), lack of north /south truck connections through to wn other than I-5 and Highway 99 that goes through downtown, poor signal tim ing along several m ajor arterial roads that results in a lot of stop-and-go driving, and the inability of Vilas a nd Table Rock Roads to accom modate heavy vehicles. Many of the congested locations identified as probl ems during the RVMPO survey of trucking companies were also identified during the City ’s LOS Study . Im provem ents to these locations, including both signal timing improvem ents and roadway /turning lane improvem ents, are identified and discussed in the Street Plan. Further discussion of truck freight m obility within the Medford UGB is presented in Table 6-1. Medford Transportatio n System Plan 6-3 Freight Plan