Get ready for a roughly five-month closure of the intersection of Neff Road and Purcell Boulevard in Bend.
The City of Bend says the intersection near St. Charles Hospital and Pilot Butte Middle School will be closed from Feb. 22 through mid-summer.
It’s part of the Neff & Purcell Improvements Project includes increasing capacity at the busy intersection.
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The detours will basically be the main arterials around that area: Butler Market Road, 27th Street, 8th Street and Highway 20.
Earl Williamson lives in the apartment complex on Purcell Blvd. near the intersection. He says he has addressed his concerns with the city officials.
“You know, when I’ve called the city about it, I go, you do realize we have a lot of elderly people that live right around here,” Williamson said. “There’s sirens all the time for people trying to get from there to Saint Charles. Yeah. So, quite frankly, because of this, I’m worried about our safety.”
But the city of Bend says the road will be closed off to the public, it has made exceptions for emergency vehicles.
Another project is the future roundabout project on 15th Street and Wilson Ave.
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“It makes it more difficult to get in and out of my driveway,” says Philip Larsen, a neighbor who lives on Wilson Ave. right next to the future roundabout.
Larsen says he understands the importance of the projects.
“There needs to be something at this intersection. It was pretty, you know, I don’t know how many times there’s been a car wreck at that intersection, several times, so it’s a good thing at that aspect.”
