City Council Votes to Revert Main Street to Previous Configuration
Published on January 22, 2026
The Medford City Council voted Jan. 21 to return Main Street to its previous configuration, following months of evaluation and a public outreach campaign.
Council had a lengthy discussion which centered on restriping the street with two travel lanes and a bike lane versus reverting the striping back to its previous three lane configuration. The Council ended in a split vote between these options with Mayor Michael Zarosinski casting the tiebreaking vote.
The reverted layout will include three travel lanes in one direction, with bikes sharing the right lane, and curb-tight parking on both sides. The project is estimated to cost $1 million, which includes repaying an Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) grant.
Council members reviewed several design options refined over the past year and presented to the public last November. Discussions considered public feedback, traffic flow and speed, project costs, parking availability, impacts on downtown businesses, and accommodations for the biking community.
City staff said an accelerated timeline would have the final restriping plan completed by spring 2026, and the project finished by fall 2026.
Background
The current Main Street restriping, implemented in October 2023 to improve bicycle access, cost approximately $515,000, with more than 90% funded through an ODOT grant. Following community feedback in late 2024, Council noted that they wanted the current striping plan changed and requested additional evaluation of alternative configurations.
In March 2025, the Council reviewed multiple alternatives, leading to further engineering and analysis. In July 2025, the Council narrowed the choices to four design options. The City launched a public outreach effort in November 2025—including an in-person open house and an online survey—to gather feedback on the proposed designs.
Community feedback from the public outreach effort was presented to Council during a study session in December 2025.