Project Overview  

Currently, Bear Creek and I-5 limit east-west connectivity between south Medford and north Phoenix. The South Medford interchange currently experiences congestion and it’s expected to worsen in the future. To address this, the South Stage Extension Plan will evaluate potential transportation improvements across I-5 between the Phoenix interchange (Exit 24) and South Medford interchange (Exit 27) to: 

• Improve east-west connectivity and safety 

• Reduce congestion and prepare for future growth 

• Improve emergency response 

• Improve multimodal connections 

• Decrease evacuation and recovery times 

• Reduce travel times 

The project will evaluate transportation system improvements and potential options for a new overpass and/or interchange to reduce congestion at the busy South Medford interchange. A recommended alternative will be identified. The plan will require adoption by the City of Medford and the Oregon Transportation Commission. 

Study Area Map 

Project Schedule 

The project began in summer 2023 and is expected to conclude in late 2024. Your input is important and will help shape the final plan. The schedule below includes the major milestones and opportunities to provide your feedback throughout the project.  

Purpose:

The purposes of the South Stage Road Extension Plan are to:

1. Reduce out-of-direction travel by improving east-west multimodal connectivity across Interstate 5 (I-5);

2. Reduce existing and projected congestion and related traffic safety issues in the vicinity of the I-5 interchanges with Garfield Street, North Phoenix Road, and the adjacent local street network; and;

3. Support local system improvements associated with current and planned land uses, as well as improved emergency preparedness in the rapidly urbanizing areas of South Medford and North Phoenix, Oregon.

Needs: 

The following transportation needs (problems) have been identified:

• I-5 creates a barrier to local east-west travel that limits local road connectivity, resulting in out-of-direction travel and poor east-west travel times.

• Lack of east-west connectivity across I-5 is a primary contributor to congestion and traffic safety issues at the existing interchanges and the local roads accessing the interchanges.

• Improved east-west arterial connectivity is needed to support planned growth in the Medford and Phoenix urban growth reserves.

Learn more - Technical Memo: Final Purpose and Need Framework

Learn more - Technical Memo: Goals, Objectives, and Evaluation Criteria

Safety Focus Areas 

The following locations currently experience above average crash rates. All other crash rates in the study area are below statewide averages. 

• Barnett Road/Golf View Drive – exceeds average crash rate 

• Garfield Street/Center Drive – exceeds critical crash rate relative to study area 

• Barnett Road/Golf View Drive – exceeds critical crash rate relative to study area 

The ODOT Safety Priority Index System (SPIS) identifies sites along state highways where crash history may warrant further investigation. It identifies locations by considering crash frequency, crash rate and crash severity. Sites identified within the top 5% are investigated by ODOT staff and reported to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The following intersections were identified in the top 15 percent of SPIS scores in the SPIS 2021 list: 

• OR 99/Stewart Avenue – top 15% 

• OR 99/Garfield Street – top 15% 

• I-5/Garfield Street Interchange – top 15% 

Operation Focus Areas 

• All study intersections meet operating standards under existing conditions with the exception of the I-5/Garfield Street interchange, which experiences traffic volume exceeding ODOT’s standards for the interchange’s relative capacity during the weekday AM peak hour. 

• All freeway segments operate within standards. 

• Queues from both the southbound and northbound ramp of the Garfield interchange are reported to back up onto I-5 for portions of the weekday AM peak hour.

Learn more - Technical Memo: Current Conditions

To understand future needs for the transportation system in the study area, the project team used population and employment projections for the year 2045 to develop 20-year transportation demand estimates. Technical Memo: Future Conditions documents this estimated demand in the “No-Build” conditions analysis, which shows how the existing system would function in the year 2045. Using that estimated demand, this analysis identifies anticipated transportation needs (gaps and deficiencies) within the study area:

Pedestrian, Bicycle, and Transit Access

The study area has limited bicycle, pedestrian, and transit facilities, particularly east of I-5. Only four pedestrian/bicycle crossing opportunities exist, with a 2.65-mile gap between the Bear Creek Greenway undercrossing and the Phoenix Interchange. This gap is six times greater than desired by the City of Medford code and three times greater than the average spacing of pedestrian/bicycle crossing of I-5 between Central Point and Phoenix.  Transit users have a 2.75-mile gap in east-west crossings of I-5 and Bear Creek.

Freeway Segments, Intersections, and Interchange Ramps

Currently, the South Medford interchange (also known as the I-5/Garfield Street interchange) experiences congestion. Traffic backups occur at the north and southbound ramps at times on weekday mornings, posing safety concerns. The Year 2045 No-Build scenario indicates congestion will exceed current standards at this interchange, along with several other intersections in the study area, including:

• OR99/Garfield Street

• OR99/N Phoenix Road/Boltz Road

• Barnett Road/Black Oak Drive

• Juanipero Way/Golf View Drive

Out-of-Direction Travel

Motorists on South Stage Road west of OR 99 travel up to 3.8 miles out of their way to reach destinations along N Phoenix Road. Data shows they already travel out of their way between these two roads, which will continue in the Year 2045 No Build scenario, and with longer predicted travel times.

Travel Times

During the peak evening commute, it takes almost 6 minutes to travel between South Stage Road/OR99 and the future intersection of Phoenix Road/South Stage Road via the southern route and almost 14 minutes via the northern route. In the Year 2045 No-Build scenario, the travel time for the southern route is estimated to increase to a little over 7 minutes and to almost 16 minutes for the northern route.

Emergency Response Access

Limited detour options for emergency vehicles can cause congestion and disruptions during emergencies. The lack of alternate routes, together with increased travel times and congestion in the Year 2045 No-Build scenario will lead to increased response times, especially to/from medical providers along the Barnett Road.

Crash History

Several locations experience average or above-average crash rates, including Barnett Road/Golf View Drive, Garfield Street/Center Drive, and intersections at OR 99/Stewart Avenue, OR 99/Garfield Street, and the South Medford interchange. Without mitigation or changes in driver habits, crashes may worsen in these locations in the Year 2045 No-Build scenario.

Learn more - Technical Memo: Future Year Background Traffic Analysis

The next step in this process was to develop potential solutions (alternatives) to address the identified gaps (i.e., a section of roadway without a bike lane or sidewalk) and deficiencies (i.e., a roadway where travelers experience overly long delays or safety issues) within the study area. 

Define Overarching Solution Scenarios

To address the project study area's safety, operations, and connectivity needs, the project team began with three overarching solution scenarios:

Screen Overarching Solution Scenarios

To determine which scenarios would best meet the project's purpose and needs, the project team screened these three scenarios according to a series of evaluation criteria based on the Project's Purpose and Need. Based on this screening, Scenario 1 (Existing System Enhancement) was removed from further consideration because it would not sufficiently meet the project study area’s safety, operations, and connectivity needs independently.

Develop Alternatives within Feasible Solution Scenarios

From the two remaining scenarios—Scenario 2: South Stage Overpass or Underpass and Scenario 3: I-5/South Stage Interchange—the Project Development Team, Project Advisory Committee, Project team, and community identified 8 initial alternatives for each scenario (16 total alternatives).

Alternative O-1: South Stage Alignment

Alternative O-2: South Stage Southerly Realignment (Option 1)

Alternative O-3: South Stage Southerly Realignment (Option 2)

Alternative O-4: South Stage Underpass (Option 1)

Alternative O-5: South Stage Underpass (Option 2)

Alternative O-6: South Stage Northerly Realignment

Alternative O-7: Lower I-5 NB Travel Lanes

Alternative O-8: Glenwood Road Alignment

Alternative I-1: South Stage Alignment

Alternative I-2: South Stage Southerly Realignment (Option 1)

Alternative I-3: South Stage Southerly Realignment (Option 2)

Alternative I-4: South Stage Underpass Interchange

Alternative I-5: South Stage Diverging Diamond

Alternative I-6: I-5 South Stage Left Lane Merge for NB On-Ramp

Alternative I-7: I-5 South Stage Single Point Interchange

Alternative I-8: I-5 South Stage Partial Split-Diamond Interchange

Learn more - Technical Memo: Transportation Analysis Screening
Learn more - Technical Memo: Range of Alternatives

Screen Alternatives According to Technical Feasibility

The project team reviewed each alternative using their conceptual horizontal and vertical alignments and found that Alternatives O-5, O-8, and I-6 would not be technically feasible.

Alternative O-5: South Stage Underpass (Option 2)

• This alternative would tunnel under I-5 and Bear Creek, but there is not enough road length to tunnel under I-5 and Bear Creek and to connect to OR99 with an acceptable grade. The road would either overshoot OR99 or be too steep.

Alternative O-8: Glenwood Road Alignment

• Glenwood Road has limited utility due to its proximity to the Phoenix interchange.

• This alternative would break the east-west continuity of the South Stage corridor and create a new intersection along OR99.

• This alternative would require right-of-way from environmental justice properties north and south of Glenwood Road east of OR99.

Alternative I-6: I-5 South Stage Left Lane Merge for Northbound On-Ramp

• Because it may confuse drivers, the left-lane merge for the northbound on-ramp at South Stage Road will not meet FHWA and ODOT guidance for on- and off-ramps.

• This location introduces a short, challenging, and likely unsafe weaving section for vehicles that enter from South Stage on the left side and then want to exit at the right-side South Medford Interchange.

Screen Alternatives According to Economic Feasibility

Five alternatives were screened out because they were more expensive and either provided infrastructure that exceeded the need and/or did not create additional benefits compared to other feasible alternatives:

• Alternatives I-5, I-7, and I-8 introduced added interchange characteristics that exceeded the project needs but would not outperform other more feasible alternatives.

• Alternatives O-7, I-5, I-7, and I-8 provided excess capacity well beyond the forecasted year 2045 traffic demand and would not outperform other more feasible alternatives.

• Alternative O-6 would require the most right-of-way (ROW) (more than 860,000 square feet) and would impact three existing building structures. It would also require a new rail crossing west of OR99 and not outperform other more feasible alternatives.

Overcrossing Alternative Economic Factors

Interchange Alternative Economic Factors

Assess Alternatives According to Environmental Impacts

Technically and Economically Feasible Alternatives shown below were preliminarily assessed according to environmental impacts. This assessment is summarized below.

Alternative O-1: South Stage Alignment

Alternative O-2: South Stage Southerly Realignment (Option 1)

Alternative O-3: South Stage Southerly Realignment (Option 2)

Alternative O-4: South Stage Underpass (Option 1)

Alternative I-1: South Stage Alignment

Alternative I-2: South Stage Southerly Realignment (Option 1)

Alternative I-3: South Stage Southerly Realignment (Option 2)

Alternative I-4: South Stage Underpass Interchange

Evaluate and Refine Feasible Alternatives & Recommend Alternative(s)

Based on community input, the Project Team will evaluate which technically and economically feasible alternatives should continue forward for further refinement and environmental screening.

Then, the Project Team will recommend alternative(s) to be documented in the draft Facility Plan.  The Draft Facility Plan will be presented to and reviewed by the Project Development Team, Project Advisory Committee, and community in July/August 2024.

Based on additional feedback, the Project Management Team will recommend alternative(s) to be considered by the Planning Commission and City Council during public hearings for adoption into the Medford Transportation System Plan. If the Facility Plan is adopted by the City of Medford, the Oregon Transportation Commission will hold a hearing to consider its adoption into the Oregon Highway Plan.

Learn more - Technical Memo: Transportation Analysis Screening
Learn more - Technical Memo: Range of Alternatives

Provide Your Feedback 

Thank you for your participation! Please take our survey below. 

Sign up to receive email updates to stay informed of future opportunities to learn more and share your input. Upcoming events include: 

• Online open house: May 6-20, 2024

• In-person open house: May 8, 2024, 6-8 p.m.
  Location: RCC/SOU Higher Education Center, 101 South Bartlett Street, Medford, OR 97501

• Online open house to review the draft plan: Late 2024 

If you have questions, please contact:  

• Lisa Cornutt, ODOT Principal Planner: Lisa.Cornutt@odot.oregon.gov 

• Karl MacNair, City of Medford Transportation Manager: karl.macnair@cityofmedford.org