I-5’s road to improvement

Removing two Medco bridges will require rerouting starting tonight

Part of the interstate will be closed to all nighttime traffic today and Tuesday while the state transportation agency removes two old bridges in Medford, but it could have been worse.

The Oregon Department of Transportation will remove the Medco Haul Road bridges that cross Biddle Road and Interstate 5 as part of the north Medford interchange project.

I-5 is scheduled to be closed between Exit 30 and 35 from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. today and Tuesday. Traffic will be rerouted along Highway 99 to the Seven Oaks interchange north of Central Point.

I-5’s northbound lanes will be open at Exit 33, so northbound truck traffic leaving Pilot Travel Center can still access the interstate via the ramp from Pine Street.

Biddle Road will be closed to nighttime traffic Wednesday and Thursday.

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Biddle Road is scheduled to be closed between Hilton and Lawnsdale roads from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. Traffic will be rerouted along Hilton and Bullock roads.

Originally ODOT was allowing much more time for the project, but the demolition subcontractors came back to them and said they think they can do the removal in four nights.

The bridges carried the Old Medco Haul Road, a commercial road formerly used to haul logs to area mills. Earthen berms that lift the road up to the bridges’ level will be used as material for new on- and off-ramps in the revamped north Medford interchange.

The new interchange is scheduled to be complete in about two years.

The $35 million, two-year interchange project will give drivers direct access between Interstate 5 and Highway 62, separating local and interstate traffic.

This week’s detours will be well-marked, according to ODOT project information specialist Gary Leaming. He said this is the only time the interstate is scheduled to be closed for the project.

Leaming said at its heaviest times, from 10 to 11 p.m. and 5 to 6 a.m., the interstate detour is expected to put as many as 500 cars and trucks per hour onto Highway 99. During the quieter hours, traffic along the highway should be about 100 cars and trucks per hour, he said.

The current construction phase focuses on widening the Biddle Road and Crater Lake Highway bridges, and building new ramps that will take drivers to and from I-5 and Crater Lake Highway.

The Medco Haul Road crossings over I-5 and Biddle Road must be removed to make room for the project.

Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail mlanders@mailtribune.com