ODOT, city extend Bend Parkway cleanup, brush removal

(Update: Cleanup, brush removal extended north to Colorado Avenue)

Maintenance crews from the Oregon Department of Transportation and the city of Bend have extended this week’s work on a cleanup and brush-removal effort on the southern end of the Bend parkway north to Colorado Avenue, ODOT said Tuesday.

Work to clear the brush began at about 7:30 p.m. Monday and is finishing about 6 a.m., nightly through Thursday morning. The initial project was between Murphy Road and Reed Lane but is now extending north to the Colorado Avenue interchange, officials said.

One lane in each direction will be closed during the work.

“After years of coping with parkway brush interfering with safe driving, the combined team will move out onto the parkway Monday night to trim the brush to the ground, removing the offending vegetation from that section of the Parkway,” ODOT announced Thursday.

The agency added, “This is an opportunity to remove many years of sanding material from winter maintenance, remove dead plants from the center of the parkway and make the parkway easier to maintain.”

ODOT Bend-area Traffic Maintenance Manager Tim McGinnis said, “This combined effort with the city of Bend will help create a safer driving environment along the Parkway.”