A Mail Tribune Advertising Department publication
ODOT
19 2015
June
5
ON OUR COVER Summer means highway construction and families on vacation. Look inside for simple tips that can help make your summer travels safe and fun. ON PAGE 2 Hamilton Construction workers pour concrete for the retaining wall on the new Bear Creek Bridge.
Editorial Directors Jared Castle, (541) 957-3656 jared.b.castle@odot.state.or.us Gary Leaming, (541) 774-6388 gary.w.leaming@odot.state.or.us Advertising Dena DeRose, (541) 776-4439 dderose@mailtribune.com
Gov. Kate Brown Share Oregon’s pioneer spirit, sign up for OReGO
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Oregon 140-62 intersection New traffic signals, crosswalks included in safety improvements
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Redwood Highway Paving Building a 15-mile facelift from Cave Junction to Slate Creek
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Fern Valley Interchange As new Bear Creek Bridge opens, demolition of old structure begins
Contributors Bret Jackson Publication Supervisor Steve Johnson Photography Brian Fitz-Gerald Illustration Sally Ridenour, Shelley Snow Editing Kevin Beckstrom Graphics
This feature publication is produced separately from the Mail Tribune’s newspaper editorial department. All content is provided or approved by the Oregon Department of Transportation. ODOT is an equal opportunity / affirmative action employer committed to a diverse workforce. Accommodations will be provided to persons with disabilities. Alternate formats available upon request.
A special thank you to Medford Police Motor Officer Greg Nichols and State Farm Insurance agent Larry Nicholson and Annelle Tresemer for generously volunteering to help create our cover artwork and share the message for safe, summer travel.
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MEDFORD VIADUCT
Planning work continues this summer Negotiations with Portland firm Kittelson & Associates are underway as ODOT develops the Medford Viaduct Facility Plan, the first phase of a multi-part analysis into Medford’s most iconic and controversial bridge. Without dedicated funding or a construction design on the shelf, the facility plan starts with a figurative white board from which to develop a 20-year vision for 3,222-foot structure, which supports Interstate 5 from
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south Medford interchange at Exit 27 to the north Medford interchange at Exit 30. “We expect a scope of work for the facility plan later this summer,” said ODOT Principal Planner Lisa Cortes. “There’s a lot of work up front as we integrate the facility plan with the environmental study, the next part of the Medford viaduct analysis.”
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How would you like to pioneer a 21st century idea?
By Governor Kate Brown Oregon is once again demonstrating its innovative and independent spirit, exploring the concept of a permile charge as a way to pay for the transportation system we all share. In 1919, Oregon was the first state in the nation to pass a gas tax to build new roads in order to “get Oregon out of the mud.” Oregon is again leading the way by studying the viability of a per-mile charge as a possible way to pay for transportation infrastructure. We need your help. Beginning July 1 2015, the Oregon Department of Transportation will test-drive a new idea: OReGO. We are looking for 5,000 volunteers willing to pay-asthey-go: participants would pay their share of tax revenue for road and bridge maintenance based on the
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miles they drive, and get a credit for gas taxes paid at the pump. High fuel efficiency vehicles pay a little more, low efficiency vehicles actually pay less with OReGO. OReGO is a unique public-private partnership. ODOT does not track where you drive. You connect with private companies like Azuga and Verizon Telematics. They supply a secure device that collects information about the miles you drive. You decide whether to allow tracking of locations. Then you pay the OReGO mileage fee through the company. In return, some of our vendors offer some pretty exciting incentives like the ability to score your driving and find where you’ve parked. High fuel efficient vehicles are paying less and less in fuel tax, even if they use roads and bridges the same
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Volunteer for OReGO Oregon is the first state in the U.S. to adopt a road usage charge program. We’re starting with just 5,000 volunteers who will get to experience OReGO first and bolster public understanding of this new and innovative way to pay for our transportation system needs. Volunteers will pay a per-mile fee of 1.5 cents instead of the traditional fuel tax, and will receive a tax credit for fuel used.
How to Volunteer for OReGO ODOT will evaluate vehicles for participation in OReGO based on the following legislative requirements: • No more than 5,000 cars and light-duty trucks may participate in OReGO on July 1. • No more than 1,500 vehicles rated at less than 17 mpg. • No more than 1,500 vehicles rated from 17 to less than 22 mpg. If you are an Oregonian ready to make history, please join the interest list online http://www.myorego.org/about/interest-list/ or text ORE GO to 468311. While we can only enroll 5,000 qualified vehicles initially, and not everyone is guaranteed a spot, we anticipate future opportunities for more volunteers.
What payment options will be available? ODOT has partnered with private vendors to manage volunteers’ OReGO accounts, and to also provide an ODOT-sponsored option. Volunteers will select a mileage reporting device and service plan that works best for them.
continued from page 5 as other vehicles. Some, like electric vehicles, pay nothing at all. With OReGO, everyone pays based on miles, not gallons, which is more equitable. It’s a first-in-the-nation idea—and lots of other states and countries will be watching our experiment. ODOT will gather information on how the system works and how Oregonians feel about it, and then use that to inform a robust legislative discussion in an upcoming session.
system safe, well-maintained and userfriendly. I think this idea is worth your consideration. Learn about OReGO; try it for a month, two months—even six months. Then tell us about your experience. Help us determine how best to maintain the roads and bridges we all depend on.
Innovation has always been a part of Oregon’s character, with the first gas June 26, 2015 odotmovingahead.com tax, the bottle bill, and our public beaches. Here’s another opportunity This pilot program will help Oregon to demonstrate that Oregon’s consider better and more equitable pioneering spirit is alive and well. ways to keep our transportation
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OREGON 62 PAVEMENT OVERLAY
Shady Cove collaborates with ODOT Recreational travelers headed to the upper Rogue River journey through Shady Cove on Oregon 62. Looking to make their community more attractive for residents and visitors alike, Shady Cove’s city leaders collaborated with ODOT to add enhancements to an Oregon 62 pavement overlay project that will extend north from the Rogue River Bridge to Cleveland Street. The construction project will also build a center-turn lane on Oregon 62 with bike lanes and sidewalks. The addition of a right-turn lane on Rogue River Drive, which is owned by Jackson County, will be bundled into the project. The city of Shady Cove plans to install a new water line in the project area. The highway project now has a 2017 target date for construction. According to ODOT Area Manager Art Anderson, the project bid opening is now scheduled for autumn 2016, which will line up a prime contractor to begin work in early 2017. “Our construction team is confident we can deliver in 2017,” said Anderson. “And we anticipate all of the work can be finished in a single construction season.”
Project planning began in 2012 with an initial scoping meeting and briefing to the Shady Cove Chamber of Commerce. ODOT has focused on keeping construction impacts to a minimum not only for the businesses but also for the project budget. “Adding funding specifically for bicyclists and pedestrians made a lot of sense to everyone,” said Anderson. “The safety need to keep pedestrians off Oregon 62 and the shoulder is clear, especially for local children walking to and from school.” Studying design options Project enhancements sounded good to the project team but ODOT first needed to clarify right of way locations. At the same time, Shady Cove business owners voiced concerns about the possibility of losing onstreet parking. ODOT focused on keeping construction impacts to a minimum for local businesses and the traveling public while also keeping an eye on the project budget. “The project team developed six different project designs before we landed on the one that found the right balance for the needs of the highway and the needs of the community,” said Anderson.
Oregon 62 Expressway project
Signal prioritization to help transit services
The Rogue Valley Transit District and travelers will receive a big boost when both phases of the upcoming Oregon 62 Expressway project are completed. The first phase of the $120 million Oregon 62 Expressway project, one of the largest transportation projects ever constructed in southern Oregon, is expected to kick off early next year. The Oregon 62 Expressway project is a multimodal solution that will increase capacity and improve safety along the corridor, a critical business connection for freight, tourism and commuters. The Crater Lake Highway exceeds capacity standards. Future growth is expected to significantly increase traffic volumes, already some of the highest in southern Oregon and higher than those on Interstate 5 north of Medford. “Higher crash rates at corridor intersections, especially from I-5 to Delta Waters Road, are a safety concern,” said ODOT Area Manager Art Anderson. “Oregon 62 and Delta Waters Road is the busiest intersection in the entire southwest Oregon region.”
The project team is finalizing lastminute details for the Coker Butte crossing redesign as well as work involving the Federal Aviation Administration and the Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport. “The right of way process is always the critical path to the project package,” said Anderson. “We anticipate getting this project advertised for construction bidders and underway later this year.” Signal Prioritization “I see the expressway helping to alleviate congestion,” said RVTD General Manager Julie Brown. “But signal prioritization will help transit deliver services on time.” That signal prioritization will allow bus drivers, when they are running behind due to congestion, to change upcoming traffic signals to the green phase, thus putting them back on schedule and reducing time the bus sits in traffic. According to Brown, the biggest advantage of the upcoming expressway for transit riders will be an as-yet planned ‘Bus Rapid Transit’ route from a Park-and-Ride in the White City area to an unspecified location in or near downtown Medford.
The multimodal project will add sidewalks and transit-related enhancements on the existing Oregon 62 corridor. The project will also June 26, 2015 odotmovingahead.com build a four-lane access-controlled “Being able to bring in pedestrians, expressway that provides faster travel provide better access through and improved safety within and sidewalks, create the possibilities of through the region.
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Park-and-Rides for commuters, and add signal priority will help us get back on schedule,” said Brown. Brown also chairs the statewide Public Transit Advisory Committee. Oregon 62 Expressway The 4.5-mile expressway will start with three lanes of eastbound traffic at Poplar and Bullock Roads near Fred Meyer. Through traffic will turn left on a small directional interchange located across from Whittle Road. Traffic will then travel along a fourlane expressway on the east side of the Medford Airport, span over Vilas Road, and connect to the existing Crater Lake Highway near Corey Road. Traffic destined for commercial centers such as Costco, Lowe’s and Safeway will continue as is done today. For westbound traffic, three lanes of traffic will extend through the Poplar-
Bullock intersection to the north jughandle to Biddle Road. The most challenging segment during the first construction phase will be located where traffic already runs heavy, between Poplar Drive and Delta Waters Road. ODOT plans to take advantage of a wide section of its own right of way on the south side of the highway section. “Project staging is crucial to keep traffic moving and business access open,” said ODOT Project Manager Tim Fletcher. “We expect much of the first phase work may be completed away from traffic.” When it is on the heavily-traveled corridor between Poplar and Delta Waters Road, it will either be at night or behind solid barrier or both to limit impacts to traffic.
ASHLAND APPROVES OREGON
. An artist rendering of the Siskiyou Safety Rest Area/Welcome Center Viewed from the west Designed to serve as Oregon’s signature visitor facility, the Siskiyou Safety Rest Area and Welcome Center will be constructed alongside the northbound I-5 lanes, approximately two miles south of Ashland Exit 14. With the Ashland City Council’s approval of an agreement to provide city water and sewer services, the project cleared the final hurdle before the first phase of construction begins. The milestone follows a nearly twodecade effort to replace the Siskiyou rest area, which was closed for safety concerns in 1997. The previous rest area was located on a six-percent grade and had a history of crashes. June 26, 2015
The Ashland City Council approved the interagency agreement at its May 19 regular business meeting with the addition of a chain link fence and gated service entry in the project design. In 2011, the city approved to extend services as long as the project was completed within four years. The latest vote removed that time requirement. “We appreciate Ashland’s partnership in helping restore Oregon’s welcome center,” said Anderson.
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location to serve travelers coming off the Siskiyous,” said ODOT Area Manager Art Anderson. “Today, as in 1997, Federal Highway Administration still expects ODOT will build a new rest area to serve drivers coming off the Siskiyous.”
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GATEWAY CONSTRUCTION
Siskiyou Safety Rest Area/Welcome Center viewed from the east.
The first phase of construction, the facility’s roadways and ramps, will go to bid later this year. Traffic statistics show that more than three million vehicles travel north on I-5 into Oregon each year. According to the Oregon Tourism Commission, each dollar spent operating a welcome center equates to $41 in visitor spending. “A Travel Oregon-run Welcome Center, co-located with the rest area, will be a local, regional and statewide economic generator,” said Anderson. “Not only would visitors stretch their legs, but it would allow them to learn more about the various travel destinations as they enter Oregon.” The Siskiyou Safety Rest Area and Welcome Center will house an
outdoor kiosk, restrooms and an office for Oregon State Police troopers as they work southern Jackson County and the Siskiyou Pass. Commercial trucks will not use the facility. A restroom for those customers has already been built at the Ashland Port of Entry station, which is located between Ashland Exits 14 and 19. The project’s second phase will build two Cascadia-themed buildings for the rest area. The Cascadia designs would add to the facility’s gateway look for visitors. The environmentallyfriendly design and sustainable ethic will match that of the Welcome to Oregon sign and the new interchange aesthetics recently constructed at Ashland Exits 14 and 19.
Connect with online
for a stress-free summer vacation Summer travel comes with ample amounts of sun, fun and stress but, with proper planning and the use of great resources, you can make your trip safer and stress-free. Share information and learn about interesting but often lesser-known programs and projects. Find photos that we’d like to share with you. Watch Oregon DOT videos online and comment or subscribe through our YouTube channel. Oregon DOT provides important news. Sign up for automated traffic Tweets for specific state highways.
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Visit www.TripCheck.com or call 511 for the latest conditions via road cameras, continuous travel updates, highway construction news, and other valuable tips to get you to and from your favorite places via air, bus, rail, or ride share. Automated traffic alerts are available for specific roads via Twitter. Remember that only TripCheck.com and 511 are updated and monitored 24 hours a day. Travel and traffic conditions that have a major impact on motorists are displayed as alerts. Most cameras update every five minutes. Rural cameras may take a little longer, depending on their network connection.
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Larry Nicholson, Agent 1380 Biddle Rd, Ste B Medford, OR 97504 larry@larrynicholson.com Bus: 541-772-3233
before the work area. An inattentive driver is the most common cause for work zone crashes. • Orange is your clue! Pay attention when you see orange signs, barrels, cones, and barricades. • Obey all speed signs, because speed may be reduced for your safety and the safety of workers. • Double your following distance. Don’t tailgate. • Get in the correct lane well in advance.
OREGON 140-62 INTERSECTION
Project aims to reduce crash frequency
Prime contractor Knife River is heading a $1 million safety improvement project at the intersection of Oregon 62 and Oregon 140. Nighttime construction began earlier this month with lane closures in effect from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. ODOT scheduled the work at night to avoid the heavier traffic volumes recorded during daylight hours. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of the summer. The safety improvement project targets a location of frequent crashes that involve rear-end, turning and failure-to-yield movements. Currently, both westbound and eastbound traffic on Oregon 140 has no dedicated left-turn lane. Drivers can become confused by drivers’ movements in the opposite lane.
intersection is listed among the top five percent of crashes in southwestern Oregon for the same type of roadway. Thirty crashes were reported at this location from January 2007 to January 2011. The safety improvement project adds new traffic signals, lighting and signalized pedestrian crosswalks to the intersection. The east approach on Oregon 140 will be widened for a dedicated left-turn lane, singlethrough lane and a right-turn lane. The west approach will be restriped for a dedicated left-turn lane and a shared through and right-turn lane. “This project will add several operational improvements to this area that will reduce the crash frequency and improve safety for everyone,” said Marmon.
“This location has been on our safety list for years,” said ODOT District Manager Jerry Marmon. “We’ve had intersection crashes, even a pedestrian fatality, so we’re looking forward to making June 26, 2015 odotmovingahead.com this key intersection safer.”
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Redwood Highway
15-mile facelift finishes this summer Earlier this month, prime contractor Oregon Mainline Paving paved a 15-mile section of U.S. 199 (Redwood Highway) from Slate Creek Road to south of Cave Junction. The $4.9 million project includes Cave Junction’s lane conversion project, which converts the number of through traffic lanes from four to three, including a two-way, left turn lane. The design adds bicycle lanes on both sides of the Redwood Highway and improves pedestrian access along a half-mile section in the city limits. The project also added rumble strips to the centerline along the 15-mile stretch of new pavement. Now all that’s left is striping work. “Redwood Highway from Grants Pass to Cave Junction has a higher-thannormal rate of drivers who simply run off the road,” said ODOT District Manager Jerry Marmon. “Improving the pavement and installing the rumble strips should help alert drivers to keep it between the lines.” Next year, another paving project will launch from where this one ends near Slate Creek, continuing north on the Redwood Highway to the Applegate
River Bridge, which is located west of Grants Pass. The genesis of the lane conversion design came about during Cave Junction’s Transportation System Plan (TSP) update. Cave Junction began its TSP update after receiving a Transportation & Growth Management (TGM) planning grant from ODOT. “TGM grants provide money to help local governments plan for their future needs,” said ODOT Planner John McDonald. “The TSP is even more beneficial when there is a project scheduled for construction within the next few years. Cave Junction is working with ODOT to make that project better for everyone.” Cave Junction’s TSP update identified several issues of concern to local citizens and businesses, primarily traffic speed and safety, and motorists who pass within the city limits. According to Cave Junction City Recorder Ryan Nolan, the biggest issues the city addressed involved traffic and pedestrian safety. “Our biggest traffic complaint is speeding through town,” said Nolan.
“We are appreciative of the ways ODOT has worked with us to help slow traffic down.” ODOT worked with Cave Junction to identify potential improvements that would address local concerns. After examining traffic patterns, volumes and collisions, Cave Junction and ODOT determined a lane conversion would solve a lot of problems. “Changing this to a three-lane section with a center turn refuge will lower the crash rate,” said ODOT Traffic Engineer Dan Dorrell. “It will also make downtown Cave Junction more
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livable, and safer for cyclists and pedestrians.” On any given summer day, or any time of the year, there’s plenty of pedestrian traffic. The city led discussion with the public. City staff hosted open houses and shared the design concepts at public art walks and city council meetings. “The lane conversion design is a win for all,” said McDonald. “Businesses will have improved access and drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians will all reap the travel and safety benefits.”
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MERLIN I-5 INTERCHANGE Reducing frequency, length of backups
A construction project for the Merlin interchange at Interstate 5 Exit 61 cleared its biggest hurdle last month, successfully completing a five-day closure of the northbound off-ramp on time before the official start of the summer travel season.
“Merlin is still very much a rural interchange but the higher traffic volumes now warrant a traffic signal,” said Paselk. “These safety improvements will reduce the frequency and length of backups on the northbound Exit 61 off-ramp.”
The $2.2 million project is making safety and operational improvements to the rural interchange, specifically the I-5 off-ramp and local roadways connected to the interchange. JRT Construction LLC of Oakland, Oregon is the project’s prime contractor.
An open house was held at Fleming Middle School to address concerns about the impact on summer tourism along the Rogue River.
“The closure to rebuild the off-ramp should be the biggest inconvenience to travelers, but it was necessary to build a dual left-turn lane,” said ODOT Project Manager Ted Paselk.
“With a few exceptions, folks were appreciative of the planned work with the closure and the need for improvements to the interchange,” said Paselk. The Merlin interchange project website is www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/ REGION3/Pages/I-5-Exit-61.aspx.
That five-day closure will be the project’s only full closure. For the summer, travelers can expect intermittent delays and 24-hour flagging at the Merlin/Monument Drive intersection as work focuses on the roadway and traffic signals. The project is designed to end backups on the northbound off-ramp that June extend 26, 2015 back to the I-5 travel odotmovingahead.com nearly lanes as well as provide needed safety improvements for the next 20 years of operation.
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and is known within ODOT as the project development process. The facility plan provides ODOT and local agencies and other stakeholders with a priority list of specific improvements. Recommended improvements will likely include a focus on capacity, safety, and changes to the local road network. Some solutions might be a combination of them all. “Any future project for the Medford viaduct would also need to balance environmental issues with Bear Creek, park land and expensive right of way costs,” said Cortes.
continued from page 4 The Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC) selected the project to receive $4 million in discretionary Enhance funding, a category of the ODOT capital improvement program that focuses on projects that enhance, expand or improve the transportation system. “The added investment linked the previously-scheduled facility plan with an environmental study,” said Cortes. “The Enhance funding allows us to prepare a facility plan in conjunction with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the project development process.”
The scale of major project concepts, such as a full replacement of the Medford viaduct, or the addition of another deck next to I-5, far exceeds the level of transportation funding expected through year 2020. “When you start talking about replacement, project costs start at hundreds of millions of dollars,” Cortes said. “It is imperative that we look at improvements at a lower range of costs that optimize public dollars.” ODOT in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) prepares environmental documentation for each transportation project that receives federal-aid funding or federal approval from FHWA as required by NEPA.
Unlike the facility plan, which develops a 20-year vision for the Facility plans generally culminate in structure and the community, the a determination of what needs toodotmovingahead.com be June 26, 2015 environmental study goes much done to address an identified problem deeper, addressing the challenges based on established policy direction presented by more than 50 years of and standards. Project planning is residential and commercial growth carried out in accordance with NEPA around the Medford viaduct.
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FERN VALLEY INTERCHANGE
Summer of bridge construction, demolition
Commuters transitioned to the first half of the new Bear Creek Bridge earlier this month when prime contractor Hamilton Construction reached another major construction milestone on the $72 million Fern Valley Interchange project at Interstate 5 Exit 24.
The project addresses traffic congestion that is especially severe in and around Phoenix’s I-5 interchange during morning and evening commutes. Existing and proposed development along the east side of I-5 in Phoenix had reduced the capacity and created safety issues at the interchange.
The Missouri Department of Transportation was the first public agency in the United States to construct an interchange with the crossing diamond design. “Once we open the first half of the new Bear Creek Bridge, work will focus on demolishing the old, two-lane structure,” said Fletcher. “By the end of this year, we expect drivers will using the new I-5 bridge and new northbound on- and off-ramps at Exit 24.”
The project area includes I-5, Oregon 99 and Fern Valley Road. The Fern Valley Interchange features Oregon’s first Diverging Diamond design that reduces ODOT’s right of way needs for construction.
The Fern Valley Interchange project’s size and complexity, encompassing I-5, Oregon 99 and Fern Valley Road, requires more than two full construction seasons to complete. In addition to construction of the Diverging Diamond interchange, the project realigns North Phoenix Road between Peterbilt Motors and The Home Depot.
Demolition and construction below the ordinary high water mark can only “The Diverging Diamond design be completed during the summer, provides more traffic capacity,” said from June 15 to September 15, an inODOT Project Manager Tim Fletcher. water work period set aside to protect “To enter I-5 or cross over it, drivers migrating fish. June 26, 2015 odotmovingahead.com will move to the opposite side of the bridge, which reduces the number of The project is scheduled for signal phases a driver needs to clear.” completion in September 2016.
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Challenging Phase Awaits Hamilton Construction and subcontractors are at several locations on both sides of I-5, including Oregon 99, Bolz Road and Fern Valley Road. West of the Bear Creek Bridge, paving and curb work is nearly finished, which will open the south side of Fern Valley Road to construction, encompassing Bolz Road and the area adjacent to the new Chevron gas and store on Oregon 99. “This work will be the most challenging construction phase for the city of Phoenix and local businesses,” said Fletcher. “The work is right in the core of Phoenix, alongside businesses and the Oregon 99 corridor.” Business driveways will be marked with cones and blue ‘Business Access’ signs. When complete, Oregon 99 will feature new turn lanes, bike lanes, sidewalks and traffic signals. Work Zone Safety I-5 motorists benefit from many safety features in the Fern Valley Interchange project’s work zone. TripCheck traffic cameras, the Rogue Valley’s first Incident Response vehicle, and transverse rumble strips are being used in the work zone. To reduce work zone crashes, the I-5 speed limit is reduced to 50 mph in the work zone. “Road conditions change as needed for construction,” said Fletcher. “Travel lanes were narrowed and
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there have been several different ramp configurations. Additionally, workers and vehicles are coming on and off the job site.” Oregon State Police patrols the work zone. Traffic fines double in work zones, even when there are no workers present.” ODOT includes construction changes in its weekly construction report. More specific changes, including explanatory videos, are highlighted in a separate Fern Valley Construction update. Sign up for these updates at: https://public.govdelivery.com/ accounts/ORDOT/subscriber/new? Benefitting Local Businesses Hamilton Construction has nearly 50 suppliers and subcontractors in the Phoenix area. For example, Hamilton Construction purchases tires from Les Schwab and building supplies from The Home Depot. Other local contractors and vendors supporting the project include Pacific Survey, Ledford Construction, Southern Oregon Concrete Pumping, Bullet Rental and Sales, Hilton Fuel/Trucking and Peterson Cat Rentals and Sales. To date, Hamilton Construction has spent more than $3.8 million on materials such as concrete and rebar and about $360,000 on supplies. Additionally, construction workers eat at local restaurants like Si Casa Flores and sleep at local motels and RV parks, such as America’s best Inn and Suites.
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The project was fully funded thanks to a $25 million investment from the 2009 Oregon Jobs and Transportation Act (JTA), a funding package based in part on increases in truck weight-mile taxes, flat fees, registration fees, road use assessment fees, and heavy vehicle trip permit fees. Unlike previous Oregon transportation bills, the JTA dedicated most of the state’s share of revenue to specific projects. The bill listed 37 projects previously approved by the Oregon Transportation Commission that must be financed by bonds. “The JTA investment was great news,” said ODOT Area Manager Art Anderson. “A major investment like that reflects the excellent work accomplished in the Rogue Valley.”
“As the project continues to develop, we find the need to reach out to more local businesses and vendors,” said Hamilton Construction Project Manager Chris VanerPloeg.
Bridge Aesthetics Aesthetic features inspired by the hills and grasses — the natural colors surrounding Phoenix — are being incorporated in the final design for the new Fern Valley Interchange project.
The utilization of concrete form Design Phase and Funding liners and different stains and paints The design phase began in 2004. The presents opportunities to design a Fern Valley Through design alternative bridge with a local look instead of the was eliminated in 2009 because drab concrete structures common it would have an adverse impact when I-5 was initially built. on nearby farm land. The Project The project team filtered through Development Team later unanimously several designs with the help of supported the North Phoenix June 26, 2015 odotmovingahead.com Medford landscape architect, John Through build alternative as part of Galbraith, before selecting aesthetics the federally required environmental for the Fern Valley Road bridges that assessment. span I-5 and Bear Creek at exit 24.
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