When construction of the new Siskiyou Safety Rest Area along Interstate 5 wraps up south of Ashland, it will have a tall lookout tower – but it’s just for show.

Fire lookout towers once dotted the west, said Tim Fletcher, project manager for the Oregon Department of Transportation, and the one at the rest area is intended to draw the attention of I-5 travelers.

“This facility is the first rest stop and gateway to the state for northbound travelers,” he said.

GPA Architects is designing the project in cooperation with ODOT. Early design plans called for the tower to be accessible so that people could view forestland to the west and grassland to the east, but that would have required installation of an elevator and triggered liability issues, said Steve Plowman, a GPA principal. Instead, the tower will serve as a beacon to travelers.

“We wanted people to notice it from the freeway,” he said. It’s “something that would be different and identify the facility.”

The development, which is being built in two phases, will eventually include a main building that will house the visitors’ center, tourism offices and offices for the Oregon State Police. A covered walkway with the tower in the middle will connect to a large restroom building, all set in landscaped grounds around a central plaza.

The first phase is under way, with Wildish Standard Paving of Eugene grading and constructing drainage, ramps, roadways, parking areas and other infrastructure, Fletcher said.

“All the underground utility work, drainage and paving is under construction right now,” he said. “This will be completed later this year and then we will go ahead and advertise the next project (to) construct the buildings.”

The second phase will include buildings, landscaping and picnic areas, Fletcher said. Bids for that work will be requested in mid- to late November.

This new rest area will be at Milepost 12.5 and replace one at Milepost 10 that was decommissioned for safety reasons, Fletcher said. The state previously made a commitment to the Federal Highway Administration to build a new rest area, he explained.

ODOT has been working for several years with the FHA to create a new visitor center, Fletcher said, with a Northwest influence.

“The Cascadia look has large exposed timbers, large overhangs and heavier shake,” he said. “Although the roofing material will be a thicker composite shingle, it resembles a shake roof.”

The project’s budget is $12 million. Local, state and federal dollars, as well as financial assistance from Travel Oregon, will pay for the project, Fletcher said.

“We feel this is going to provide a much-needed facility for all the travelers coming into the state of Oregon,” he said.

The GPA team worked with ODOT, Travel Oregon and other groups to come up with the best design, Plowman said.

“We came up with the influence of Cascadia architecture and as we were putting it together, looked at the topography and wanted people to notice it from the freeway,” Plowman said. “That’s where the fire lookout tower idea came from.”

The rest area is merely some of the work taking place along the southern I-5 corridor – including improvements to exit ramps and interchanges, ODOT spokesman Gary Leaming said.

“It’s a great welcoming message to people coming in from California to see the connection to the wonderful welcome center,” he said.

Construction completion is projected for 2018.

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