OREGON 99 CORRIDOR PLAN
FINDING A BALANCE
Working with the local residents and business owners who live and work along the corridor, the Oregon Department of Transportation is developing an Oregon 99 Corridor Plan that balances the important regional highway with its dual role as the main street for several Rogue Valley communities.
“We’re trying to find a balance for Oregon 99 that meets the operational needs of the highway and local communities,” Horlacher said. “Much of that balance is tied directly to safety issues.”
“For nearly a century, Oregon Highway 99 has connected Ashland and Medford,” said ODOT Planner Ian Horlacher. “It was the first paved highway in the United States to span a state from border to border.”
The Oregon 99 Corridor Study started in 2010 with the goal of finding ways to enhance transportation safety and capacity over the next 20 years. A technical advisory committee is comprised of the local jurisdictions along Oregon 99, including Jackson County, Ashland, Talent, Phoenix and Medford, as well as ODOT.
Interstate 5 was later built as the critical West Coast route.
Travel volumes along Oregon 99 have decreased in recent years.
June 6, 2014
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