ODOT launches virtual open house on Highway 97-Baker Road interchange plans

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Oregon Department of Transportation posted an online open house Monday to help online viewers explore the  future of transportation infrastructure investment and development and around the U.S. 97/Baker Road Interchange south of Bend.

The online open house is posted at the following web address:

https://odotopenhouse.org/us-97-baker-road-interchange-area-management-plan

The online open house  is set up in a user-friendly format that allows users to navigate  individual modules at their convenience.

The online open house will be live now through June 20.

On Tuesday night, June 9, at 6 p.m., ODOT will host another virtual event -- a  virtual town hall meeting -- with staff present to provide a project overview, answer questions and take comments.

Links to both events are posted on the project website and at tinyurl.com/BakerRoadIAMP.

The US 97/Baker Road Interchange was constructed in the early 1990s, primarily to serve the sparsely populated rural lands south of Bend.

Since that time, the City of Bend’s population nearly quadrupled, leading to heavier congestion and crashes. With population growth in the area expected to continue, ODOT planners are preparing an Interchange Area Management Plan (IAMP) to evaluate how the existing US 97/Baker Road interchange operates and to determine what measures are needed to keep it functioning well over the next 20 years.