SUNDAY. MARCH 31, 1963
MEDFOHD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, OREGON
East-West Arterial Street From Freeway Planned Later During Year
Southwest Medford Is ex
pected to get an east-west
arterial street from Interstate
5 sometime this year now that
the public utilities commis
sioner has approved the Bar
nett rd. crossing of the South
ern Pacific railroad tracks.
The 1,285-foot extension
from Barnett rd. to South
Holly st. is part of the arterial
street program voted on by
Medford residents in 1956. It
will join Holly st. at Melrose
ave.
All costs of the crossing's
construction, except for pav
ing in the immediate area of
the three railroad tracks to be
crossed, will be paid by the
city.
In connection with the pro
ject, the Oregon state high
way department announced in
January that designs were be
ing drawn for a traffic signal
at the intersection of Barnett
rd. and South Riverside ave.
The state at that time said
plans were to have the signal
installed and in operation by
July.
Assume Maintenance Costs
The signal's $12,000 cost
will be paid half by the city
and half by the state with the
city assuming the costs of
maintenance and power.
While the PUC had ap
proved the railroad crossing
at Barnett rd. Aug. 11, 1960,
nearly 16 months after the
city had filed its application,
I stipulations governing its op-
LROSE " -
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BURNETT ROW
STREET EXTENSION The Barnett rd. extension across
the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks will intersect South
Holly st. at Melrose ave. The road's extension, only 1,285
feet, will provide the city ah east-west arterial street
from Interstate 5 to the southwest area. A public utilities
commissioner order, approving the city's request for the
grade crossing at the railroad tracks, was signed last
month. The project is part of the 10-year arterial street
program voted on by Medford residents in 1956.
Chamber Committee Discusses
Signs Along Freeway Viaduct
Signs on the elevated free
way within the city limits ol
Medford dominated, last
week's meeting of the gov
ernmental operations commit
tee of the Medford Chamber
of Commerce.
Chairman Robert D. Heffer
nan, Jr., prepared the mem
bers for the monopoly by one
subject by announcing at the
opening of the session that
It would be devoted exclusive
ly to discussion of the pro
posed signs. '
Dale Hearrell of Pulver's
Motel and H. A. Mauch of the
Travelodge spoke for the
erection of signs, and Attor
ney Otto Frohnmaycr opposed
signs along the freeway.
Al Bradford,, representing
the Medford city council, ex
plained why the city had not
taken definite action on this
"important issue," long be
fore this. He said the fact
that the city would have
jurisdiction over the signs
within the city limits had
been overlooked through a
misunderstanding, adding that
the council members had la
bored under the mis-information
that the state would have
this power.
No Effective Advertising
Hearrell maintained that
Wayside Industries would
have no effective advertising
without signs on the high
ways to inform tourists of
their services.
Legislating all signs from
the elevated freeway would
be discriminatory legislation,
he declared, against a large
and important segment of
Medford's economy.
Motels, hotels, restaurants
and gas stations, Hearrell
said, are heavy taxpayers in
the community. Prohibition of
signs would be unfair to the
taxpayers and an injustice to
the traveling public, he said.
Plead for Signs
Mauck continued with the
same line of thought, plead
ing for regulated signs to
aid the sizable income to the
state from tourists, who
brought Oregon an income of
more than $200,000,000 in
1982. If the freeway is not
marked here, Mauck insisted,
Medford will miss out on
many of the traveling dollars.
Frohnmaycr, in answer, pro-
Frohnmaycr, in answer, pro
tested the signs already erect
ed by Sambo and Richfield
along the freeway, describing
them as detrimental to the
scene over Medford. Propo
nents of such signs would
render a disservice to Med
ford, he declared, in that they
would solve no problem.
Such signs are viewed too
late to inform the tourist who
is going 70 miles, and more,
an hour, he explained. These
freeways belong to all of the
people, the attorney contend
ed, since the federal govern
ment pays 90 to 92 per cent
of the cost of construction.
If the signs are erected, he
added, tourists would soon
type Medford as nothing but
a Disneyland attraction.
Som Serious Questions
The permits already issued,
Frohnmayer stated during the
question and answer period,
involve some serious questions
of constitutional rights, ques
tions which cannot be answer
ed without a complete and
thorough study of the facts.
Examples of promotion of
areas through signs were list
ed by Mauck, who stated that
the National Travelodge asso
ciation is allotting $280,000
for billboards out of a pro
motion budget of $800,000.
The Jackson County Motel as
sociation is contemplating ex
penditure of $8,000 for a sign
at Yreka promoting the Rogue
valley and the Highways 5
and 99.
Suggested signs outside the
approaches of the city were
introduced. In this category
were placed "welcome" signs
north and south of Medford,
incorporating the services
available within the city.
The topic will be discussed
again Wednesday.
Brooks Named Head
Of Insurance Week
Bill Brooks, local life un
derwriter, has, been named
chairman of Life Insurance
Week by the Rogue Valley
Association of Life Under
writers. The announcement was
made by Gene Williams, presi
dent of the association.
Brooks will coordinate the
plans of the local association
members and arrange educa
tional programs, concerning
life insurance.
ening were opposed by the
city. Since that time, the city
appealed the order in Jackson
county circuit court and liti
gations continued until March,
1962, when the case was re
moved from the trial docket
and remanded to the PUC for
consideration of new evi
dence. In the earlier order the
PUC had stipulated that the
city would have to choose be
tween Barnett rd. and the
11th st. crossing of the rail
road tracks.
In the order which became
effective Friday, several rea
sons were stated for the
PUC's change.
In testimony given January
by the Southern Pacific rail
road, the company said that
increased use of mechanically
refrigerated cars substantially
reduced the train movements
to the ice house in the 11th st.
crossing area. Company offic
ials explained that switching
problems had been eliminated
by transferring makeup traf.
fic from the area to the com
pany's tracks three miles
north.
Testimony by the railroad
showed that control of
through train movements in
the crossing's vicinity had
changed since 1959. The auto
matic block signals, originally
located 200 feet south of 11th
st., which caused delays in ve
hicular traffic, have been re
located in the vicinity of the
north and south Medford city
limits.
At the January hearing, SP
officials asked that the orig
inal PUC order setting the
speed of trains at the Barnett
rd. crossing be increased to
20 miles per hour to coincide
with the speed limit on Stew
art ave. Reason given was to
assist in the elimination of
traffic congestion.
Abide By Findings
teepinffie Vaarf of
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At the time of the request
Medford city officials said
they would abide by the find
ings of a safety study by the
PUC staff. The study's find
ings, according to Peter Suk
alac, Salem, PUC information
officer, showed that the speed
of 15 miles per hour previous
ly established as the highest
permissible speed of trains at
the Barnett rd. crossing is
safe and reasonable. The
crossing would, not be made
safer for the public, nor
would the railroad company
realize any material benefit
by increasing the maximum
speed to 20 miles per hour.
"Therefore," the study con
cluded, "there is no cogent
reason for changing the pro
vision of the previous order
as they pretain to the permis
sible maximum speed over
the proposed Barnett rd.
crossing." .
Neeotiations are continu
ing by city officials for th
final strip of property needed
for the road's right-of-way.
City officials hope to sub
mit an ordinance to the city
council April 4 authorizin
the call for bids for tha
street's extension.
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