Consulting firm recommends overpass or underpass at South Stage Road

A new Interstate 5 interchange at South Stage Road is not justified under existing traffic conditions, a $1.2 million study has concluded.

Kittelson & Associates Inc., a transportation consulting firm, conducted the study for the Oregon Department of Transportation and recommended an overpass or underpass at the freeway that would connect South Stage to Foothill Road.

Medford City Council has previously voiced support for an interchange to relieve pressure on the existing Exit 27 interchange on Highland Avenue near Barnett Road, which has vehicle backups onto the freeway during rush hour.

Mayor Mike Zarosinski said that the South Stage interchange is still a future goal.

“At the end of the day, it may not be warranted today, but it may be warranted at some time,” he said.

According to the Kittleson study, the cost of an interchange could be between $200 million to $330 million.

The city wants an interchange to relieve congestion at the current Exit 27 but also to accommodate growth in south Medford and in Phoenix.

An even more extensive future study would be the next phase to help secure funding for an east-west connector over the freeway at the south end of the city, Zarosinski said.

“We will have to see what they say five years from now,” he said.

Medford officials and ODOT are concerned that the existing Exit 27 interchange continues to require additional work to handle increasing traffic volumes.

The south end of Medford has seen explosive growth in the years since the new Exit 27 interchange opened in 2007. A number of new hotels have sprung up in recent years around Exit 27.

Transportation officials “could not believe how fast it happened,” said ODOT spokeswoman Mary Dillinger.

ODOT plans to add an additional right turn lane to make it easier for traffic to flow onto Barnett Road rather than backing up onto the northbound travel lanes of I-5, which could result in crashes. The project, which is still in design, is expected to cost $6.5 million, with $2.5 million provided by the city of Medford.

Previously ODOT widened the southbound offramp to relieve congestion.

Dillinger said transportation officials will monitor the improvements in traffic flow from the additional right-turn lane onto Barnett, which is expected to start construction in 2026.

Also, the ongoing Foothill Road widening project, which should be finished in 2026, is expected to ease traffic issues on Exit 27.

Foothill will provide a thoroughfare that will allow motorists to travel on an improved roadway between Phoenix and Highway 140 in White City. In Medford, the roadway is being widened to accommodate two travel lanes and turn lanes.

“Until people start using Foothill, we won’t know how much it will help,” Dillinger said.

The Kittleson report hasn’t taken the interchange option off the table entirely, she said.

“It is anticipated we will see enough traffic and driving patterns that will warrant it,” Dillinger said.

The Kittleson study, which examined a number of options for a South Stage connector, will provide the basis for an even deeper study to determine what kind of options are warranted to connect South Stage to Foothill over I-5.

Traffic wasn’t the only concern about building an interchange at South Stage, Dillinger said.

Another factor is how close a new interchange at South Stage is to Exit 27, as well as the higher costs.

It would be just over a mile from Exit 27, and federal design standards typically prefer a three-mile interval between interchanges. The Phoenix interchange is about three miles from Exit 27.

The Kittleson study found that an overpass or interchange at South Stage would likely be a less-expensive option because of elevation changes from one side of the freeway to the other. The topography around South Stage is challenging for building on-ramps and off-ramps in the Barneburg Hill area, the location of the Rogue Valley Manor.

Dillinger said it’s possible to design an overpass that would allow for a future interchange option in the future.

Reach freelance writer Damian Mann at dmannnews@gmail.com