Like many residents of Bend and Central Oregon, you probably rely on US 97 in the north end of Bend for a variety of reasons. It may be a way to get to and from your home or work, or a connection to area shopping and dining. It may be a route for moving people and goods through Central Oregon, or a key part of the transportation system for Bend’s future planning and growth. It may be a route to bring freight and customers to and from your business.

US 97 in the north end of Bend serves all of these purposes and more. And that is part of the problem – we are asking the highway to be too many things. The tremendous population growth in Bend and Central Oregon has placed many demands on US 97. This has increased congestion, caused disruptions in traffic flow, made traffic delays longer and increased the number of accidents.

We must find a long-term solution to maintain a safe, efficient US 97 in the north end of Bend. An environmental impact statement (EIS) is required by federal law for the US 97 Bend North Corridor project. The EIS will identify and compare the environmental and community impacts of a reasonable range of alternatives to help identify the best solution for balancing our transportation needs now and into the future. The project will also include developing a funding strategy to help move the transportation solution toward implementation.

There is no preferred alternative for the project. Alternatives that address the project’s purpose and need are on the table and will be considered during the alternatives development and screening phase (spring to summer 2008). The alternatives considered during this phase will include variations of the system concepts previously examined during the US 97 and US 20 Refinement Plan (2004 – 2007) as well as any new feasible alternatives suggested by ODOT staff or the public.
Read more about the alternatives development and screening phase.

Public involvement is very important to this project and ODOT values your input.
Read more about how you can get involved.