Commuters navigating the streets of Bend were treated with good news this week with the completion and reopening of the Wilson Avenue Corridor Project.

The final segment of the project, between Third and Fourth streets, was reopened for regular traffic flow, a relief for drivers who have endured a maze of detours, roadblocks and lane restrictions over the past year.

The Wilson Avenue corridor modernization project encompassed more than 10 blocks of intersection and roadwork from Second Street to 15th Street. It was funded by the Transportation General Obligation Bond passed by voters in 2020.

The project was the first of more than 20 projects under the bond to be finished. It was completed in 27 months, about one month early, said Sinclair Burr, senior project engineer with the city of Bend. It features special bike lanes and a bicycle-protected roundabout at Ninth Street and Wilson Avenue.

While roadway construction is complete, the city will continue to work on landscaping and striping around the project area. Additional delineators — traffic guiding posts — and stripping will be added to the Third Street and Wilson Avenue intersection to help drivers navigate the crossing and prevent motorists from entering the bike lanes, said Burr.

Read more: Hawthorne Overcrossing: Bend’s new pedestrian, bike bridge over the parkway receives millions in funding

The next large bond project to be tackled by the city is the Midtown Crossing Project, which includes improvements to Franklin, Greenwood and Hawthorne avenues and Second Street.