Bend’s long-debated Empire-27th link finally happening
A major road construction project debated and discussed off and on for decades is finally starting in September in Bend as part of the Empire Avenue Corridor Improvement project.
The project will start after Labor Day and is expected to last nine months. When finished, Empire Avenue will be extended to connect with Northeast 27th Street and Butler Market Road.
The first phase of the project will reconstruct Empire Avenue between 18th Street and Purcell Boulevard. That part will take about two months.
A roundabout also will be built at Empire and Purcell.
According to Project Manager Sinclair Burr, the project has been nearly two decades in the making.
“Actually, it’s been in the works since the early 2000s. It was identified in the Transportation System Plan and it kind of got shut down after the recession started, so we’re staring it back up at this point,” Burr said.
Actually, even earlier, in the 1990s, the proposed link sparked major political debate, as residents of a senior manufactured home park, Snowberry Village, led a fight to prevent the connection from creating what was called a “de facto Eastside bypass.” A group formed and backed a slate of candidates, called “Slow Growth Down.” There was still a project to widen 27th Street, but without the Empire connection.
The new road link will cut through a corner of Pine Nursery, which includes part of the disc golf course. Burr said they will reroute the course because of the project.
Another intersection will be built at the corner of 27th, Butler Market and Empire. Also, improvements will be made to the intersection at Purcell Boulevard and Butler Market Road.
“It’ll both ease congestion, but it will also increase safety,” Burr said. “The intersection has some sight distance issues, so we’re hoping to solve that with the roundabout,”.
Purcell between 18th and Butler Market also will see improvements.
The total project is expected to cost about $24 million.
“Well, they’ve been needed to be done for many years now. It’s just a better east-west connector in the northeast part of town,” Burr said.
