BEND, OR -- The new roundabout at Deschutes Market and Hamehook is taking shape, but drivers should prepare for delays and detours over the next month.  "Deschutes Market Road is one of the highest volume roads within the Deschutes County system; you know, upwards of 8,000+ vehicles per day. So, working around traffic is a challenge out there," says Deschutes County Roads Director Chris Doty. Flaggers are controlling traffic through single-lane closures, until August 24. "The roundabout’s kind of tucked in one corner of the intersection and to make those connections requires really jumping out into traffic; it’s a real difficult part of the project," says Doty, "So, the contractor’s flagging it 24/7 for the next couple weeks."

Then, beginning Thursday (Aug. 17), Hamehook will close through September seventh. "From Butler Market Road to the north, will be mostly open just to local traffic during that closure. So, if you’re a normal Hamehook user, you’re going to want to continue on Butler Market, and take Deschutes Market further to the west and kind of wrap around the other side of the project." Doty tells KBND News, "Luckily the system is such that people can avoid this without a lot of out of direction travel. And once it’s opened back up, it’ll be available and certainly a lot safer with a roundabout in place at that intersection."

The roundabout should open October first. "Certainly, there’s a lot of work left to do. Weather can always play a factor, as well. But that’s the construction target date, per contract, and we have every reason to believe it’ll be at that time - and hopefully sooner." Construction began on the $2.1 million project in the spring.