Transportation System Plan 2018-2038

deficiencies in m oving freight, and identify projects to enhance freight movem ent within and through the Rogue Valley . According to the 2001-2023 Rogue Valley Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), the key to developing long-range strategies and solutions for freight m obility is to have an in-depth understanding of both local and pass-through freight characteristics. It requires preparation of an inventory of freight ty pes, routes and generators, evaluation of freight needs and defici encies, developm ent of freight m ovem ent forecasts, and assessm ent of freight m obility alternatives. Th e RVMPO Freight Transportation Study will include interm odal aspects – truck, rail, and air connecti ons – in order to im plem ent the goals of the 2001-2023 Rogue Valley Regional Transportation Plan (RVRTP) and the federal Transportation Efficiency Act (TEA-21). Trucking, rail, air freight, and pipeline transportation sy stem s will be evaluated within the Rogue Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization area, wh ich includes Central Point, Medford, Phoenix, and White City . Objectives of the study are to: • Assess the existing freight transportation sy stem , • Identify current and forecasted deficiencies in m oving freight, • Devise solutions and strategies, including a list of projects, to im prove freight m ovem ent, • Identify safety deficiencies, and • Prelim inarily identify Regional Transportation Plan , and jurisdictional plan and im plem enting ordinance am endm ents to foster freight m ovem ent in the region. The freight study will continue to identify and prio ritize concerns. In addition, the com pletion of the freight study will allow the RVMPO to develop solutions to the m ost pressing concerns given by users of the RVMPO freight planning study . A discussion of existing freight facilities and issues in the Medford UGB is presented in the following sections for trucks, pipelines, and water transportation. Freight rail service and facilities are discussed later in this chapter under “Rail Service” Truck Freight Service Highway freight transportation in the Medford ar ea is largely concentrated along the truck routes designated in the Regional Transportation Plan. With in the Medford UGB, the m ajor truck routes include Interstate 5 (I-5) and Crater Lake Highway (Highway 62). I-5 is by far the m ost im portant freight link in the region carry ing in the range of 4,000 to 5,000 trucks per day through the Medford area2. Not only does it serve freight heading to destinations with in the Medford UGB, but also serves a significant number of trucks passing through the region to destin ations elsewhere along the West Coast. Currently , the com bined volum e of freight transported over hi ghway and rail m odes in the I-5 corridor through the Rogue Valley metropolitan planning region is estim ated at 25 m illion tons annually , with the majority of this freight carried on the highway system . Crater Lake Highway (Highway 62) is estim ated to carry between 1.5 and 5 m illion tons of freight annually . Further inform ation on freight m ovem ents is contained in Technical M emorandum #4 of th e Regional Transportation Plan3. In addition, there are num erous regionally -signifi cant truck routes and interm odal trucking facilities within the Medford UGB. Truck routes and trucking facilities are illustrated on Figure 3-4 . Most of the shippers and receivers are located within ¼ to ½ mile of I-5. Consequently , access to I-5 is critical. There is little existing signage to indicate where current or appropriate truck routes are located, and som e existing signage is inaccurate or out-of-date. Th is includes directional signage to old Highway 238 through downtown Medford that is still in place although the state highway has b een relocated northward through the Big “X”. 2 I-5 St ate of the Interstate Report , ODOT, 2000. 3 Rogue Valley Metropolitan Pla nning Organizati on (RVMPO), Regional Transport ation Pl an – Final Techni cal Mem orandum #4: Analysis of Existing Conditions, March 1994. Medford Transportatio n System Plan 3-22 Existing Conditions