Ultimate Interstates:Southern Oregon Corridor
This is a conceptual option to construct an interstate highway along the southern part of Oregon linking I-84 near Ontario, OR to I-5 near Medford, OR. The routing could also branch off from Corridor 11 near Burns Junction (depending on if I-11 is built).
The Southern Oregon Ultimate Interstate Corridor is a conceptual interstate highway corridor that would create an interstate highway along the southern part of Oregon linking I-5 in southern Oregon with Klamath Falls and I-84 near Boise.
Routing
The route would generally follow a routing beginning at I-5 near Medford, OR that would pass through the city of Klamath Falls then head eastward connecting to Burns OR and eventually to I-84 somewhere near Ontario. Being that this is conceptual only there is no way of knowing what actual route the high would take since there have been no studies completed.
Alternate Routing
An alternate routing would continue eastward near Lakeview, OR then connect to Corridor 11 at Burns Junction. Access to I-84 would then be via I-11 heading to the northeast and connecting with I-84 in the Boise Metro area.
Purpose and Need
Whether such a corridor would ever be considered remains to be seen. If built this interstate would open up interstate commerce to the south central part of Oregon, most of which is currently served by 2 lane highways. The largest city serviced by the corridor would be Klamath Falls. This highway would provide for potential economic growth for the Klamath Falls region and southern Oregon cities such as Ashland, Medford, Grants Pass and even Eureka, CA. Since this corridor is only conceptual there are not any traffic studies to determine the actual need an viability of the project.
Potential Auxiliary Routes
None are planned but spur routes could be possible if growth warrants.
Plausibility
The likelihood of a southern Oregon interstate corridor is a long shot. Most of the route would be in extremely rural parts of Oregon and travel thru desert environmental areas which could be impacted. While a direct routing would be nice it seems unlikely due to low traffic volumes along existing routes. Also building interstate highways in remote areas is not preferred and logically the route planned would be routed near cities wherever possible. It may never happen but one can imagine.