City of Bend to hold ribbon-cutting, mark long-awaited completion of Wilson Avenue Corridor Project
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Next Tuesday, the city of Bend will celebrate the long-awaited completion of the Wilson Avenue Corridor Project with a brief ceremony and ribbon-cutting on Wilson Avenue near Fourth Street at 10 a.m. The city will then open the section of Wilson Avenue between Third and Fourth streets.
The Wilson Avenue Corridor modernization project that began in early 2022 improves safety and east-west connectivity for all users along Wilson Avenue from Second Street to 15th Street, the city said. East-west connections were a key theme in the voter-approved Transportation General Obligation (GO) Bond from 2020.
“The Wilson Avenue Corridor is the first GO Bond project completion to celebrate,” said Mayor Melanie Kebler. “It also supports our Council goals to improve the transportation system with a focus on safety. I’m particularly excited about Bend's first bicycle-protected roundabout at Ninth Street and Wilson Avenue that provides designated crossings, reducing the risk of collisions with cars, and also the protective designs for bike safety at Third Street.”
“Construction began in March 2022 and we’re proud to say this project was completed ahead of schedule,” said Project Manager Sinclair Burr. “We thank the traveling public for its patience during this period of time.”
While the corridor will be open for people who drive, ride bikes and walk, there will continue to be work done in the right-of-way including landscaping, striping, and work on private property associated with the project. Also, following additional coordination and permitting with the BNSF Railway, there will be additional work on Wilson Avenue at the railroad crossing, potentially next year.
