A state transportation crew is surveying this week for a project that includes changes to two intersections just east of Corvallis on Oregon Highway 34 in an effort to increase traffic safety in the area.

Beginning in 2005, the Oregon Department of Transportation plans to add a second left-hand turn lane for traffic turning south onto the Highway 34 bypass from the highway, said Dick Upton, manager for ODOT's Cascades West area. An additional travel lane for traffic heading south also would be constructed. The lane would continue for about one-quarter mile to give motorists time and space to merge back into one lane.

The $2.1 million project also includes realigning Wolcott Road to intersect opposite Peoria Road at the current intersection on Highway 34. Wolcott Road currently intersects the highway just east of the highway's intersection with Peoria Road.

The area between the intersections of Wolcott Road and the bypass has a high accident rate. The idea for the project is to help curb that rate, Upton said. The current setup of the intersections is believed to be related to the accident rate, he said.

Upton added that these are the department's current plans and that they could change before construction is expected to begin.