Marc Butorac, an engineer at Portland-based Kittelson & Associates, gave presentations Wednesday on eight possible designs for a South Stage Road Extension. An open house was held at the Southern Oregon University/Rogue Community College Higher Education Center in downtown Medford.

A pair of open houses to discuss design options for the future expansion of South Stage Road drew a total of about four dozen community members Wednesday, generating questions on everything from bike and pedestrian access to noise pollution and seismic resilience.

A daytime open house was held at San George Estates, near South Stage Road, while an evening open house took place at the Southern Oregon University/Rogue Community College Higher Education Center.

Both sessions, where ODOT and city officials were on hand, offered a look at eight design options, created by Portland-based firm Kittelson & Associates, for connecting North Phoenix Road to South Stage in Medford.

Marc Butorac, a Kittelson engineer, discussed various designs and offered insight on the yearlong design process that began last summer. A public review of 16 design options in January yielded the eight current options, which will be reduced to one or two by August.

Kittelson engineers estimate the various options would range from $109 million to $323 million, depending on whether an overpass, underpass or interchange is selected.

An overpass or underpass, Butorac noted at the evening presentation, would benefit Garfield Street and Highway 99, which is estimated to have “the worst congestion in Medford by 2045.” A full interchange, whether developed now or later, would reduce congestion to nearby Phoenix at exit 24 and to the south Medford freeway exits.

Butorac said of the Garfield/99 intersection, “There is no way to widen that intersection. There is railroad on one side, power lines on the other and development on all four quadrants.”

Butorac told audience members that an additional 30,000 residents would move to Medford by 2045, 5,000 of whom would live in areas adjacent to South Stage Road and North Phoenix Road. New development will come with 2,000 additional jobs — meaning, Butorac said, residents could both live and work on the east side of the freeway.

“Today, you can pretty much live here, but you’re going to have to go across (Interstate 5) to work somewhere,” he said.

The same applies to services, he said. “You can get some of those along Barnett (Road) but, right now, you generally have to come across I-5.”

Medford resident Mindy Tiry, who lives at the west end of South Stage Road, told Butorac that future residents weren’t the only ones who would benefit from added traffic capacity at South Stage.

“Anybody who lives south of Stewart would use South Stage Road,” Tiry said during the evening presentation.

Rogue Valley Manor resident David Drury voiced concerns after the evening open house about noise and air quality. Drury said that added roadways and thousands more residents would be a significant change for the quiet area.

“I wouldn’t picture the Rogue Valley Manor people being the NIMBY (not in my backyard) sort of folks, but we are concerned,” Drury said.

“Right now, I look over a green golf course. Soon I’m going to look over roads and housing.”

Drury mentioned a project in Arizona where a disco bar was sited near a retirement home.

“The relatively quiet environment that we’ve been in since 1960 is about to get shaken up,” he said.

“On the other hand, I do understand population growth happens, and I’m not a NIMBY. If I’m giving up my views, and to some extent my air quality, I do want to know that it’s going to benefit the entire region. … We do have to keep up with our growing population.”

Butorac said that, one way or another, South Stage Road will be extended within five to 10 years.

“If all the blue moons lined up and we had the pot of money sitting at city hall tomorrow, it would take at least five years to drive on that road,” he said.

“Likely it’s going to take a lot longer than that because funding is the critical piece. Then we’ve got environmental review, permitting, design and construction. There are a lot of steps we have to take.”

Medford City Council was set to discuss the project at a meeting Thursday.

An online open house is available through May 20 at oregon.gov/odot/projects.