ODOT - Oregon Department of Transportation

10/27/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/27/2021 09:58

U.S. 97/ Baker Road Interchange Area Management Plan

Aerial view of the US97/ Baker Road Interchange and study area from US97 looking north toward Bend.

ODOT invites public to weigh in on plans

for Bend's U.S. 97 Baker Road Interchange

October 27, 2021

For more information, contact Richard Swart ([email protected]), (541) 213-5845

BEND, Ore. - Members of the public will have another opportunity to weigh in on the future of transportation infrastructure investment and development in south Bend, and around the U.S. 97/Baker Road Interchange.

ODOT's Project Delivery team in Bend will host two online events during the month of November keying on development of a management plan that will guide future development of the U.S. 97 corridor between Baker Road and Bend.

The first of these events is an Online Open House that will take place Nov. 1-14. This is a self-directed virtual tour of the project, project maps and photos.

The second event is a live virtual public meeting that will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 3, starting at 6 p.m.

The agenda includes a presentation from the planning team, including the results of similar outreach activities last May and proposed solutions to issues identified in that process.

This is the second time ODOT has engaged in public discussions about the future of the interchange. The last time was in May 2021 when ODOT hosted similar outreach events, and some of the results of that effort will be discussed this time around.

HISTORY

The U.S. 97/Baker Road interchange was constructed in the early 1990s, primarily to serve the sparsely populated rural lands south of Bend. Since that time, the City of Bend's population nearly quadrupled, leading to heavier congestion, crashes, and land use conflicts.

With population growth in the area expected to continue, ODOT planners are preparing an Interchange Area Management Plan (IAMP) to evaluate how the existing U.S. 97/Baker Road interchange operates and to determine what measures are needed to keep it functioning well over the next 20 years.

Links to the online open house and virtual town hall meeting are posted on the project website at www.tinyurl.com/BakerRoadIAMP.

###