City of Bend to begin second phase of Awbrey Butte waterline project this month; open house set for next week

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The City of Bend will host an informational open house the evening of Tuesday, Jan. 9 to share information about Phase 2 of the Awbrey Butte Waterline construction project, set to begin later this month.

The open house will be held in person at Westside Church, 2051 NW Shevlin Park Road, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Waterline and sewer main construction will begin the week of Jan. 15. Improvements will take place within the public right of way and will be implemented in multiple phases to minimize traffic impacts, the city said. Detours will be in effect on Shevlin Park Road and Portland Avenue.

A single-lane closure of Shevlin Park Road is required for construction. The direction of detoured traffic will switch as construction progresses. Expect periodic closures of the northbound lanes on the Mt. Washington roundabout.

Portland Avenue will undergo construction in three stages, starting with the rehabilitation of the existing waterline crossing the Portland Avenue bridge in mid-January. The first stage involves the complete closure of Portland Avenue between Wall Street and Steidl Road. A two-way traffic detour will be routed via Awbrey Road, Newport Avenue and Wall Street.

Final restoration of Phase 2 improvements are expected to be complete in the spring of 2025.

Selective stormwater improvements and a portion of the voter-approved 2020 Transportation GO Bond Portland Avenue improvements are being constructed as part of the Awbrey Butte Waterline Improvement Project to take advantage of synergy opportunities.

The information and exhibits from this informational meeting will be also available on the project website bendoregon.gov/awbrey-waterline.