BEND, OR -- Construction is complete on the roundabout at 15^th and Wilson in Bend. The intersection closed in February and finally reopened Friday, following a couple of weeks of weather delays.

Construction Manager Sinclair Burr tells KBND News it will ease commuter congestion in the Wilson corridor, “It sure will take some pressure off Reed Market and Bear Creek/Franklin to the north, as far as east-west (traffic). People were avoiding 15^th and Wilson just because it was so hard to make left turns at the intersection.”

The next phase begins this week. “We’ll be working through 4^th street and 9^th street. We’ll have a single lane closure in the westbound direction. So, if you’re trying to go westbound, you’ll need to go south to Reed Market to go in that direction. That work will continue through the Fall of this year,” Burr said noting signage for the new closure on Wilson will go up Monday the 15th, with work underway Tuesday the 16th, “The final phase is between 2^nd street and 9^th street where we just constructed that other roundabout at 9^th and Wilson. The improvement are new sidewalks, wider bike lanes, and then we’ll kind of upgrade that signal at 3^rd and Wilson.”

Work on 2^nd and 3^rd Street intersections is set to begin next Spring. It’s part of the Wilson Avenue Corridor Project to improve safety and east-west connectivity from 2nd Street to 15^th.