May 26, 2020 3:30 a.m.
A bridge project begins Tuesday night in the southbound lanes of Interstate Five between Gold Hill and Rogue River.
Gary Leaming of the Oregon Department of Transportation said through Thursday night southbound traffic will detour at the Rogue River exit onto Oregon 99, also known as the Rogue River Highway. Traffic will return to the freeway three miles later. Leaming said the detour will be in place so a contractor can repair the deck surfaces on the two southbound bridges over both the Rogue River and the Rogue River Highway. Northbound traffic will remain on Interstate Five.
The southbound traffic will be detoured from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. Single lane closures will take place southbound about an hour before and after the full detour time. After next week, the detour dates will change to Sunday through Thursday nights.
When the southbound bridge work is complete, work will begin on the northbound bridges in the same area.
Leaming said ODOT considered the option of making the repairs without closures, but determined work crews would be unsafe with traffic so close.