Key ODOT project east of Bend will add roundabout at Hwy. 20 and Ward/Hamby roads

(Updated: adding video, comments from ODOT)

Nearly 80 crashes at busy intersection since 2013; 2 dead, 77 injured

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A dangerous intersection east of Bend is changing, in an effort to save lives. The Oregon Department of Transportation will begin work Monday on a new roundabout at the intersection of U.S. Highway 20 and Ward and Hamby roads.

"This intersection has been high on our priority list," ODOT Region 4 spokesman Peter Murphy said Friday.

The single-lane roundabout is due for completion by next June.

At the intersection with Highway 20, travelers experience long delays on the side streets, coupled with congestion that leads to aggressive driving and crashes. Drivers often use the route to avoid busy 27th Street on Bend's Eastside and its stop lights.

Since 2013, there have been 79 crashes at the Highway 20-Hamby/Ward intersection. Two people died and 77 others were injured.

Murphy says the intersection's long record of crashes has led to the project.

"We think it's going to be a lot safer, and that's what we're after," Murphy told NewsChannel 21. "That's what is really our goal for this particular intersection. We've seen problems and we want to fix them."

ODOT’s Region 4 project development team, in partnership with Deschutes County, evaluated the site and concluded that a roundabout is the best way to reduce crashes at the intersection.

Traffic studies show that roundabouts can reduce fatal and severe injury crashes by up to 80 percent.

The total project cost, including planning, engineering design, right-of-way acquisition and construction, is about $6 million $6 million.

As work continues, detours will be in place.

Murphy says this project has been in the works for years and ODOT is excited to get started.

"We're really happy that we're finally having a project that's coming to the ground -- that people can actually see and then drive," he said.

Marcum and Sons, the general contractor for the project, is scheduled to begin work with site surveys and temporary sign installation.

For more information, ODOT has posted 3-D visualizations and a project video online at:

https://www.oregon.gov/odot/projects/pages/project-details.aspx?project=21667.