Get ready for the first major changes to Highway 97 for the Bend North Corridor Project. This includes the removal of the median strip and narrower lanes on the north side of Cooley Road.
The Oregon Department of Transportation announced that temporary traffic control will be in place on Route 97 between Grandview Drive and Empire Avenue starting Monday and will continue for approximately the next eight months.
“Obviously there’s going to be some disruption right now, but I think the end result will be very good for our community,” said Rob Sater, Volvo general manager in Bend.
The current traffic alignment has each lane 12 feet wide, shoulders 6 feet wide, and barriers between oncoming lanes.
“This will definitely slow down our business,” said Space Age’s Sukhman Johar. “I mean, it was already happening because of homelessness and runaways and things like that, and that was a big part of our business. But it’s definitely going to slow us down.”
The new configuration eliminates the median strip and reduces lane width to 11 feet. The northbound shoulder will be lowered to 5 feet wide and the southbound shoulder will be 2 feet wide.
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Additionally, the entire section will be moved to the west, and several corners from Route 97 will be closed to traffic.
- The left turn from northbound US 97 onto Grandview Drive will be permanently closed. Travelers heading north can reach Grandview Drive by turning left onto Cooley Road, right onto Hunnell Road, right onto Loco Road, left onto Clausen Road, and right onto Grandview Drive. can be accessed.
- The right turn from southbound US 97 onto Clausen Road will be closed for approximately the next eight months. Travelers heading south can access Clausen Road by turning right onto Grandview Drive and left onto Clausen Road.
This is a construction zone and motorists are being reminded to slow down for workers.
“It’s very nice because we have a lot of construction workers coming and buying things, but like our business, it’s kind of expropriation,” Dzhokhar said.
The Bend North Corridor project will move Highway 97 east between Empire Avenue and Cooley Road. This will allow drivers to detour around shopping centers on the north end of town, reducing the long backups that often occur there.
ODOT recently completed two new two-lane roundabouts at Cooley Road and Robal Lane on Highway 20 as part of the project.
“A lot of people go up and down this pass at 97 degrees and I think making it safer is an important element. Everyone is safe and everyone is safe. We’ll make sure.’ We’re taking care of them,” Sater said.
Completion of the Highway 97 portion is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.