The dual-lane roundabouts on Highway 20 at Old Bend-Redmond Highway and at Cook Avenue in Tumalo will fully open on Wednesday, the Oregon Department of Transportation said.
Construction on the roundabouts began last October. They are two of the four new dual-lane RABs between Bend and Tumalo. Similar roundabouts at Cooley Road and Robal Lane in Bend opened last week.
The completion of the projects also mark the end of the major construction season for ODOT.
“Some project work will continue through the winter. You’ll see work continuing next to Highway 97 on the Bend North Corridor project, but most of our major paving work will be slowing down as we enter the winter season,” ODOT Public Information Officer Kacey Davey said.
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While the construction may have added a few more minutes to commutes, for others it challenged their livelihood.
“It hurt my business considerably from my normal summer run. It cut me down about half of what I normally do,” owner of Yolie’s Burgers Edwin Huson said.
Yolie’s is located in the Tumalo Food Court off Highway 20. Huson has had a front row seat to the roadwork all year.
Although his business was negatively impacted, Huson says the roundabout was worth it.
“There were a lot of bad accidents with the four way intersection that was here for years, and I really feel that what is going on now is going to be safer,” Huson said.
