Hwy. 97 median project paving to start, crunch to ease

Starting on Monday, crews from Knife River, under contract to the Oregon Department of Transportation, will begin paving on the Highway 97 Romaine Village-to-Lava Butte median safety project south of Bend.

This phase of paving will take place on the new southbound outside lane and shoulder that have been constructed recently, the agency said Friday. The paving is due to end Friday, August 26.

The paving work will take place from north to south, and the southbound lane restriction will be shortened as paving takes place, reducing the southbound congestion and travel time through the construction zone, especially during times of high traffic volume, according to ODOT.

Many area travelers have complained of far longer commute or travel time south of Bend due to the lane closures connected to the project.

ODOT Construction Manager Bob Townsend had this to say about reaching this point with the project: “As with all of our construction projects, ODOT strives to manage the safety of the traveling public and our construction staff, while still trying to complete projects on schedule and on budget.”

“ODOT is very appreciative of motorists’ patience during the construction of this much-needed project, which has obviously caused temporary added congestion and delays to motorists,” Townsend said.

“We are pleased with Knife River’s progress and are excited about reaching this milestone in the project. Once the shoulder paving is complete, we will have many more options available to us to manage peak traffic volumes during the afternoon/evening commute, hopefully easing the burden on the traveling public.”

After the initial paving takes place, crews will begin paving the entire width of the southbound lanes, ahead of placing the median barrier between directional traffic on that stretch of Hwy. 97.

This final paving will take place during overnight hours, controlled by flaggers, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. beginning August 29 and is expected to wrap up about two weeks later. Once that work is complete, crews will install the median barrier and repaint the highway.

This $6 million, 4.6-mile project will complete the median barrier from about Romaine Village Way to the area on Lava Butte where the current median barrier ends, making for safer travel from locations south of Bend to the southern city limits.

For more information: https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/REGION4/Pages/US97-RomaineVW-LavaButte.aspx