Jason Smith regularly drives a tractor trailer up and down Interstate 5, but construction delays like those that started Tuesday are enough to make him take a different path.

"Most likely what I’ll do is end up taking (Highway) 97," said Smith, of Sacramento, Calif.

Traffic coming to a crawl or halt, like that between the south Medford interchange and the Phoenix exit, wreak havoc with a truck driver’s tight schedule, he said.

"It’s just a royal pain in the — you can fill that word in," said Smith, who was fueling up at the Petro Stopping Centers in Phoenix on his trip from Los Angeles to Portland.

Southbound interstate traffic was slowed and occasionally stopped much of Tuesday as the Oregon Department of Transportation at 7 a.m. began a $12 million project to resurface I-5 between Medford and Ashland.

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The first phase of the project will close down one lane in each direction from the north Ashland interchange to just south of the south Medford interchange.

But not all truck drivers mind the construction.

"Anything that makes the road better is probably better for us," said Barry of Colorado, who did not give his last name. He was delivering a trailer full of yogurt from Carson, Calif., to Bellevue, Wash. He said he appreciates the road projects.

"I don’t mind wasting a little time sitting in traffic," he said.

Crews will be working Monday through Friday, from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Christmas, according to Gary Leaming, project information coordinator with ODOT.

"We’re repairing the shoulders, which are asphalt, in preparation for the work that will start next summer," said Gary Leaming.

"We’ll leave four lanes of traffic through the holidays," he said.

This is the first time this portion of the interstate has been resurfaced since it was constructed in the early 1960s. It handles 40,000 vehicles per day.

The four bridges — two in each direction — where the interstate crosses Bear Creek twice just north of the rest area near Talent, are scheduled to be repaired after the first of the year.

Then in late spring or early summer, nighttime asphalt work will begin on the interstate, said Leaming.

He said he’s seen many construction projects, and expects congestion will decrease in the next couple days as drivers seek other routes.

"Typically your first day is kinda like this," he said.

While plans called for detouring wide loads through Talent during resurfacing, ODOT is looking at narrowing the work area so those trucks can stick to the interstate, he said.

Smith, the trucker who plans to take Highway 97 through Klamath Falls, said he wishes ODOT would do most of the work at night, as is done in big cities. He said there’s a lot less traffic at night, so closing down a lane doesn’t have the same impact.

He said truck drivers often are hit hard by daytime interstate projects.

"Just a little consideration now and then would be great," he said.

Leaming said ODOT and work crews will consider switching to night work if congestion doesn’t clear in the next couple days.

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

Take alternate routes

Shoulder work in preparation for the asphalt work is taking place on all four shoulders, one at a time, so there will be several consecutive days when only the southbound lanes are affected, and several days when only the northbound lanes are affected.

ODOT has placed signs along the interstate warning of lane closures.

The work will stop on weekends and holidays.

The shoulder work should be complete by Christmas.