Project Snapshot: Medford Mega Project

Published on January 12, 2022

The following article was distributed in the Moving Ahead with ODOT winter publication. Click here to view the full publication.

Expect a major upgrade to Foothill Road on Medford’s east side in the spring of 2023, thanks to a federal grant and a partnership between the city of Medford and ODOT. While that is more than a year away, there is plenty of work going on behind the scenes designing the 4-mile, multi-million dollar improvement between Hillcrest Drive and Delta Waters Road.

“Expanding infrastructure to meet the needs of our growing city is a top priority for the Medford City Council,” said Medford City Manager Brian Sjothun.

In 2019, Medford received a $15.5 million federal BUILD (Better Utilizing Investment to Leverage Development) grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Medford was the only BUILD grant recipient in the state.

The grant leveraged an additional $32.2 million in transportation dollars to expand nearly 4 miles of roadway along the busy Foothill Road/North Phoenix Road corridor. It will transform a busy two-lane road to one with five lanes, with two travel lanes in each direction, a center turn-lane and sidewalks and bike lanes. Upgrades will improve safety on this dangerous corridor as well as reduce congestion.

Because Medford cannot be a direct recipient of the BUILD grant, the Oregon Department of Transportation is administering it on the city’s behalf.

“ODOT understands the value of partnering with Medford to bring this project to completion,” said Art Anderson, Rogue Valley Area manager. “When these rare opportunities occur, all hands need to be on deck to get the job done!”

While numerous tasks still need to be completed for this project, Medford has finished a large portion of the design phase and has started property acquisition within the project footprint.  Currently the project is set to bid fall 2022, with a contractor moving dirt in spring 2023. ODOT’s Rogue Valley inspectors will oversee the construction.  

“This federal grant opportunity will help meet the needs of increased traffic, accommodate regional growth and create job opportunities in the area,” said Sjothun.  “Additionally, this multi-year project wouldn’t be possible without the support and participation of Jackson County, the Rogue Valley Transit District and ODOT.”