ODOT plans Hwy. 97 Bend-Redmond safety project
The Oregon Department of Transportation is hosting an open house next Monday evening to provide information and gather input about a planned safety project for improvements on the heavily traveled U.S. Highway 97 corridor between Redmond and Bend.
The open house will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the ODOT Region 4 Headquarters, 63055 North Hwy. 97 in Bend. The public is invited to come talk to the project team, learn more about this important safety project and provide your input.
The U.S. 97 Redmond to Bend project will address safety on a nine-mile corridor of U.S. 97 between the cities of Redmond and Bend. The project will identify and prioritize safety improvements for the corridor. The design of the selected improvements is expected to be completed by the end of 2019, with construction anticipated to begin in 2020.
If you are unable to attend the open house, visit www.US97RedmondBend.org to participate in a virtual open house from June 4 – June 24.
Between 2011 and 2015, a total of 130 crashes were reported on the U.S. 97 corridor between Redmond and Bend.
Ten of the crashes resulted in serious injuries or fatalities. Many of the reported crashes were lane departure crashes, sometimes resulting in high-speed head-on collisions. The high number of driveways combined with increased traffic volumes result in fewer gaps in traffic making it difficult for motorists entering and exiting the highway.
More than 33,000 vehicles, including 3,500 freight vehicles, use this section of U.S. 97 each day.
The high number of driveways, combined with increased traffic volumes, result in fewer gaps in traffic making it difficult for motorists entering and exiting the highway. This can result in crashes and may be responsible for many of the rear-end crashes.
To address these issues, ODOT commissioned a traffic safety corridor study in 2015. The study analyzed crash data and recommended short to long-range improvement implementation options.
This project will identify and prioritize safety improvements that can be constructed within the current budget and will recommend additional designs for safety improvements that may be constructed as additional funding becomes available.
Accommodations at this event will be provided to persons with disabilities. To request an accommodation or if you have any questions, please contact Abbey Driscoll at (541) 388–6064 or Abbey.Driscoll@odot.state.or.us at least 48 hours prior to the meeting.
ODOT also is planning a Wednesday, June 13 open house from 6-8 p.m. at Terrebonne Community School on a planned Terrebonne Refinement Plan to guide efforts to improve safety and traffic flow.
It is working with Terrebonne and Crooked River Ranch residents to address issues such as difficulty turning onto and off the highway, particularly at major intersections such as Lower Bridge Way, or crossing the highway to schools, businesses and homes in the center of the community.
NewsChannel 21’s Jessie Foster is talking with ODOT about both planning processes and will have a report on NewsChannel 21 First at Ten on Fox and 11 on NBC.
