Road improvement project begins on Redwood Highway

JOSEPHINE COUNTY, Ore. – Drivers on Highway 199 west of Grants Pass should expect delays starting Monday night.

ODOT is starting a project to make Highway 199, also known as Redwood Highway, safer.

Contractors will be working on the highway Monday through Thursday nights from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

They will begin by making improvements from the Applegate River south to the California border.

ODOT said this area of the highway has a high fatality rate compared to other rural interstate highways.

“Basically, the whole idea behind the project is to make Highway 199 safer, get people to slow down, make them more aware of the traffic either on the main highway or on some of those main side roads coming onto the highway,” ODOT Public Information Officer, Gary Leaming said.

Improvements include center line and shoulder rumble strips, warning flashers before side roads, and speed checks.

ODOT said they hope to finish the project by Labor Day.