On Feb. 3, the City of Bend closed the intersection of Olney Avenue and Wall Street for construction, causing lengthy traffic delays along nearby roadways. Since the closure, residents have reported long traffic delays along detour routes on Newport and Greenwood Avenues.
The City planned the Olney Avenue Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvement project in order to improve safety by making it easier for all users to drive, walk, roll and bike along the road. Needed upgrades to water and sewer infrastructure in the area will also be completed during the construction. According to the City, completing all of these projects at once will save both time and money. The City anticipates the intersection to reopen in June.
On Feb. 5, the City of Bend released a statement regarding the closure, recognizing that the closure, coupled with this week’s snowstorm, has led to traffic delays. The City says it’s working to lessen the impacts by coordinating with the Oregon Department of Transportation to temporarily adjust signals on Greenwood Avenue to lessen some of the traffic congestion going east and west.
“We continue to monitor the situation and will make small adjustments as needed as we continue to assess them over the next few weeks,” read a statement from the City’s press release.
The City planned the road work for the winter and spring, before fire season and increased traffic on the roadways during summer months. The work on the intersection, relating to water line utility upgrades, is meant to take place before April, the City’s peak water demand season.
Since the closure, some residents have complained on social media, and through calls to the Source Weekly, reporting significantly longer delays.
Detour routes include areas like Greenwood Ave., which faced scrutiny during the summer over a project that added protected crosswalks, buffered bike lanes and a reduction of travel lanes.
Not everyone is opposed to the projects, however. The owner of Unofficial Logging Co on Greenwood Ave., John Heylin, has heard some residents blaming increased traffic on the Greenwood Ave. project, but sees these complaints as misguided.
In an email to the Source Weekly, Heylin claims that Greenwood Ave. was worse before the “road diet.” Since the completion of that project, he’s noticed there has been a reduction in average speed, fewer accidents and better pedestrian safety.
“In all seriousness, I want to thank City Council for helping make customers to my place and others on Greenwood feel safe and heard,” Heylin wrote in his email.
In hopes to improve traffic caused by the Olney Ave. closure, on Wednesday, the City of Bend developed a map to help identify alternate east-west routes that can be utilized to move across town.
This article appears in The Source Weekly February 6, 2025.
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