New stretch of Murphy opens Monday

The Murphy Road extension project on Bend’s south side will wrap up Monday, with the opening of a new section of road between Brookswood Boulevard and Third Street.

The new stretch of Murphy is set to open at 10:30 a.m. Monday.

Under construction since summer 2013, the nearly $28 million project is intended to improve east-west connectivity on Bend’s south side, while eliminating hazardous intersections along the parkway. Where Murphy Road previously reached a dead end at Third Street — a short section of that road has been renamed “Old Murphy Road” — the new road will extend to Brookswood Boulevard.

The Oregon Department of Transportation has constructed two new roundabouts, one on Brookswood Boulevard and one on Third Street.

Two new bridges over the parkway have been built, one allowing drivers to merge with southbound traffic on the parkway and one carrying the new Murphy Road extension.

Peter Murphy, spokesman for ODOT, said crews will turn their attention to the intersection of Pinebrook Boulevard and the parkway as soon as traffic is moving on the new Murphy Road extension.

A temporary closure of Pinebrook at Brookswood Boulevard will begin Monday, Murphy said. By the end of the month, ODOT will install a median blocking traffic from crossing the parkway at Pinebrook, he said, and remove the traffic light at the intersection.

Once this work is complete, traffic on both sides of the parkway will be able to make a right turn to exit onto Pinebrook, and traffic on Pinebrook will be able to make a right turn onto the parkway.

“People may as well get used to driving on Murphy, because we’re going to lose that light,” Murphy said.

The city of Bend has a related project a short distance east set to begin soon, a roundabout at the intersection of Murphy and Parrell roads. Bend Project Engineer Ryan Oster said the city should solicit bids for the work by the end of the month and could begin construction by December.

Oster said the city’s roundabout project will also include the installation of some sewer line as part of a larger upgrade of sewer systems in the city’s southeast. The intersection of Murphy and Parrell will close once construction begins and should remain closed until the roundabout is completed sometime in the spring, he said.

The Murphy Road extension project was funded through a 6 cents-per-gallon gas tax increase approved by the state Legislature in 2009.

— Reporter: 541-383-0387,

shammers@bendbulletin.com