Reed Market project resumes; intersection closes

The city of Bend kicked off the second phase of the Reed Market construction project Monday with a groundbreaking ceremony.

The project is slated to take more than a year and will keep the the intersection of Reed Market and 15th Street closed for months.

The $18.3 million, two-phase project started last summer with major changes along Reed Market from 27th Street to Newberry Drive. Construction crews will rebuild two miles of the road with new lanes, bike paths, sidewalks and a controversial roundabout at Reed Market and 15th.

Project managers said they’re excited the roadwork is on schedule, but warn some areas and routes will be congested and shut down.

“It needs to be done, and it will be nice when it’s done,” Project Manager David Abbas said Monday. “But it will be a couple construction seasons of headaches.”

Work on the roundabout is expected to be finished by mid-November and construction along Reed Market from Third to Ninth street will start in a few weeks.

City officials said all construction should be finished in November of 2015.

“This project will be a significant long-term improvement for multi-modal safety, mobility, access and transportation connectivity,”Abbas said.

Monday’s event also marked the completion of the Newberry Drive (at the Senior Center) to 27 th Street construction. This portion of road was completed on time and within budget, city officials said.

Important dates:

The intersection of Reed Market and 15 th will be closed through mid-November to remove the traffic signal, relocate the utilities and build a roundabout.
Construction between Third Street and Ninth Street will also begin this summer and is expected to be complete in August of 2015. The westbound lane will eventually be closed with detours while the eastbound lane will be open throughout the project.
Construction between Ninth Street and the roundabout at 15 th Street will happen between August 2015 and November of 2015, and this portion of road will be open to traffic during construction.

“We appreciate everyone’s patience during both phases of this important corridor improvement. This project was much needed,” Abbas said. “Historically, this was a farmer-to-market, rural county road that the city has absorbed as it’s grown. Now, the road is being upgraded into an exemplary model of our current, urban, arterial standards.”

The city said it “understands that this project and its associated detours may be difficult for the businesses accessed off of this stretch of road.”

“We understand the inconvenience that this road project will create for area businesses, most of which will remain open during construction. In the end, everyone in this area will be served by a better transportation system,” said City Manager Eric King. “We strongly encourage the community to continue to support this broad array of businesses during construction and detours.”

At an estimated $18.3 million, the entire Reed Market Road project is the largest and most complex part of the $30 million General Obligation Bond passed by voters in 2011. Other bond-funded projects that are already complete include roundabouts at Simpson Avenue/Mt. Washington Drive, 18 th Street/Empire Avenue and Brookswood Boulevard/Powers Road.

You can find more on the project at bendoregon.gov/gobond.