US 97/US 20 North Corridor finishes construction early and on budget, ODOT says

The US 97 / US 20 North Corridor project was substantially completed ahead of schedule and within the contracted construction budget, an Oregon Department of Transportation official told the Bend Metropolitan Planning Organization policy board on March 21.

Why it matters: the project rebuilt or realigned sections of US 97 and US 20, added more than 2.5 miles of separated multi-use path, created two multi-lane roundabouts at Cooley and Roble, and included flyover ramp and overpass work to improve multimodal access and travel-time reliability through a high-traffic commercial corridor.

Project scope and funding

Omar Ahmed of ODOT said the final project scope was smaller than an earlier 2016 Environmental Impact Statement concept (which had an estimated $275 million cost in 2016 dollars). The completed project cost was approximately $192 million, funded by a mix of sources: a $60.4 million INFRA (FHWA) grant, $50 million from House Bill 17, about $20 million in local contributions (roughly $15 million from City of Bend and $5 million from Deschutes County), and about $5 million from private development.

Ahmed said the project used a design-build delivery approach to compress the schedule and enable early contractor involvement. "We had very few, if any, full closures," he said, noting that staged construction and concurrent design-construction work helped keep Highway 20 open throughout the project.

Construction highlights and outcomes

- Two multi-lane roundabouts were added at Cooley Road and Roble Road, replacing stop- or signal-controlled intersections. - US 97 was realigned eastward in the corridor and included a flyover ramp; the project rebuilt Business 97 segments and added ADA upgrades. - The corridor gained just over 2.5 miles of separated multi-use path for pedestrians and bicyclists. - ODOT and partners used blasting to remove lava rock in portions of the alignment; blasting was performed in short closures designed to minimize disruption.

Ahmed told the board the design-build approach allowed the contractor to complete design and construction components in overlapping packages and that the team worked to limit impacts to freight and to businesses in the corridor. "We finished this project ahead of budget or ahead of schedule and on budget from a construction standpoint," he said.

Context

Project planning began in 2007 and ran through an Environmental Impact Statement process concluded in 2013. ODOT pursued federal INFRA funding and submitted again after an unsuccessful 2017 application; the project secured an INFRA grant in 2019 and began procurement and right-of-way acquisition. ODOT and partners emphasized mobility during construction, improved safety and travel-time reliability, and cost- and schedule-discipline as contract goals.

Attribution

Direct quotes and technical descriptions come from Omar Ahmed and ODOT staff during the MPO policy board meeting recorded March 21.

Ending

Board members commended the contractor and agency partners for minimizing disruption and completing the work quickly; ODOT staff said they would be available for follow-up questions after the meeting.