Transportation System Plan 2018-2038

Table 3-12 Continued Truck Freight Issues and Concerns Location or Category of Concern Concern Medford Circulation • Inability to dispatch oversized/fl agged trucks during peak morning, noon, and evening traffic times • No easy way to move from one end of Medford to the other • Traffic around property (RV Mall) is busy and freight makes it w orse • Activities not compatible w ith freigh t, e.g. residential and commercial, are being developed around freight terminals Truck Freight Users and Citizens • During construction, trucks destroy pavement not designed for loads imposed Source: Regional T ransportation Plan, RVMPO, 2002 Pipeline Transportation The only major pipeline transportation sy stem in th e Medford area are several natural gas distribution lines located along the I-5 corridor between Grants Pass and Ashland. The Medford area distribution system connects at Grants Pass to a m ajor natural gas transm ission line operated by Northwest Pipeline Com pany. This line connects northward to Eugene and the Portland m etropolitan area. There is also a natural gas transm ission line connecting to the Medfor d system from the Klam ath Falls area that provides redundancy in service. Within the Medford area, the natural gas distributi on sy stem is operated by Avista Utilities. Avista provided the following inform ation about natural gas consum ption to the RVMPO as part of the regional Freight Study . • Consum ption of natural gas in the greater Medford area: o 1997 – 69 m illion therm s o 1998 – 77 m illion therm s o 1999 – 78 m illion therm s o 2000 – 77 m illion therm s • Projected consum ption of natural gas in the greater Medford area: o 2002 – 72 m illion therm s o 2003 – 75 m illion therm s o 2004 – 77 m illion therm s o 2005 – 80 m illion therm s o 2010 – 95 m illion therm s o 2015 – 113 m illion therm s Since 1997, som e motorists have converted from the use of diesel or gasoline to natural gas, resulting in a savings of 668,000 gallons of fuel. The Rogue Valley Transportation District’s use of natural gas to power buses has also offset the consum ption of 570,000 gallons of diesel fuel4. Other pipelines in and throughout the Medford area include transm ission lines for electricity , cable television and telephone services, as well as pipeline tran sport of water and sanitary sewer. Medford also has two major water transm ission pipelines (36 inch and 48 inch) from Big Butte Springs in the Cascade Mountains. 4 “Pro file o f the Med ford Area Freig ht Transportation System” , Rogue Val ley MPO, unpubl ished i nform ation, 2003. Medford Transportatio n System Plan 3-26 Existing Conditions