One of the busiest stretches of road in the mid-valley -- Highway 34 between Interstate 5 and Corvallis -- will soon get even busier.

The Oregon Department of Transportation has announced that beginning March 5 some heavy-haul trucks going south on I-5 will be rerouted onto Highway 34, over to Highway 99W and south to Eugene.

The detour is necessary because of cracks on three freeway bridges in the Eugene area. ODOT officials say those bridges are safe for general purpose use and they are hoping to prolong their life by diverting the heaviest loads.

Fred Hughes, 50, already has to deal with heavy traffic on Highway 34. For the past 10 years, he has lived on Terra Lane, just south of Highway 34, about 1{ miles east of Corvallis.

"Over the last five years it's gotten progressively worse," Hughes said of the highway. "What we've done is create a freeway without any of the controls, such as on- and off-ramps, that would provide traffic control on a freeway."

He is concerned about what will happen when more heavy load trucks are added to the mix. ODOT officials estimate up to 150 trucks a day will use the southbound detour.

"When you are slowing down to turn into East Terra, there's no turnout lane. It would be nerve-racking to have a 100,000-pound truck behind you hitting his air brakes," Hughes said.

Rick Parrott said at certain times of day it is difficult to get out onto the highway. He is vice president of Parrott TV & Appliance, which has a store on Highway 34.

"This may make life a little more difficult for customers," Parrott said.

ODOT set the detour onto Highway 34, which has been designated a safety corridor. Spokesman Dave Davis said Highway 34 was selected because it is a state highway, and ODOT wants to limit the detour to state highways.

"Highway 34 is the last exit you can use to get to Highway 99W and stay on the state system."

Davis said Highway 99E couldn't be used as the detour because the Harrisburg Bridge also has a weight limit.

Hughes said he understands ODOT's decision and said bridge cracks are only part of the problem.

"It's symptomatic of a bigger problem of the deterioration of bridges and the lack of funding," he said. "I'm more concerned about the problems with Oregon's budget and the federal transportation budget."

ODOT engineers have been monitoring the deep cracks in the beams supporting the bridge decks. They recently noticed further deterioration in the beams and called for the weight restrictions. The twin McKenzie River bridges were built in 1959 and the Willamette River bridge was built in 1962.

The detour could be in place for up to five years, according to ODOT.