Why didn't they design the Bend Parkway so US 20 would follow it instead of following US 97B? It would only have taken a couple of ramps.
That's a question I ask myself every time I'm at the crowded intersection of 3rd St (US-97 Business) and Greenwood Ave. (US-20). Large trucks fill the inadequate left turn bay, and the whole place is a mess. My guess though, is right of way. If they wanted the parkway to directly connect to Greenwood where the underpass currently is, the railroad is immediately adjacent to the east side of the parkway, and there are buildings immediately adjacent to the west side. There simply isn't room for ramps there, so they did what they could. As much as I wish they did something better, I can't think of a good, practical solution without demolishing buildings or relocating the railroad, neither of which I see happening. Long flyover ramps could maybe work to an extent, but those would be too expensive, and even then space would be an issue. Maybe I'll be able to figure something out in my SimCity 4 recreation of Bend :D
Quote from: bugo on July 11, 2014, 06:56:06 AM
Why didn't they design the Bend Parkway so US 20 would follow it instead of following US 97B? It would only have taken a couple of ramps.
Never made any sense to me either. US 20 should have been considered for better connections in all directions for US 97 Bend Parkway. Now for that matter, why didn't ODOT just build a regular freeway bypass instead of the Parkway .....? Was it local opposition .....? Now it is a complete mess at both the north and south ends of the Parkway.
Quote from: I94RoadRunner on August 21, 2014, 08:40:46 PM
Now for that matter, why didn't ODOT just build a regular freeway bypass instead of the Parkway .....? Was it local opposition .....? Now it is a complete mess at both the north and south ends of the Parkway.
I was too young to remember when it was being built, so I'm not sure why it's not a full freeway. You're probably on the right track though. But your last point, it would probably apply even if they went with a full freeway bypass. Bend has grown much larger since the planning and construction of the parkway. From what I understand, it was originally supposed to end just south of Reed Market Rd. around Division St. What a mess that would be today. I assume that's why the parkway south of Reed Market is all at-grade.
They are currently working on fixing the south end of the Parkway. Currently in construction is a flyover ramp from 3rd St. to South US-97, eliminating the light there (it's actually already been permanently removed; traffic currently detours on Pinebrook), and an extension and overpass of Murphy Rd. to Brookswood, eliminating the need for the light at Pinebrook (I think they're going to make Pinebrook a RIRO there when they're done). So other than Powers Rd. (which I don't think is in any planning stages, and I don't even know what the best solution would be there), the south end is taken care of. As for the north end, there are plans for a bypass extension from around the current US-20 interchange, along the railroad tracks, to north of Cooley Rd. It will be quite a while before any real progress is made there, but it's in the works. And yes, the north end is a mess right now, worse than the south end ever was.