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I-5 Pinch Point In Rogue Valley Re-opens

All four lanes of Interstate Five between Medford and Ashland are back in service, after three weeks of one-lane-in-each-direction.

A construction project related to the revamping of the Phoenix interchange (exit 24) required the placement of a large-diameter drain pipe under the freeway.  And that required the closing of a lane in each direction, starting in late April.  

As expected, traffic backed up around the lane closures, with bumper-to-bumper traffic sometimes stretching a mile behind the pinch point.  Many local drivers opted to take alternate routes, avoiding the freeway between Phoenix and South Medford.

Highway crews opened up the lanes to traffic on Thursday evening, ensuring an unencumbered freeway just in time for Memorial Day weekend traffic.

Geoffrey Riley is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and has hosted the Jefferson Exchange on JPR since 2009. He's been a broadcaster in the Rogue Valley for more than 35 years, working in both television and radio.