Motorists traveling north on U.S. Highway 97 on Bend’s northern edge will permanently shift to the newly built parkway on Friday, state officials said.

The change splits northbound and southbound traffic and will affect access to the Cascade Village Shopping Center, according a news release from the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Drivers attempting to access the shopping center from Empire Avenue will do so from U.S. Highway 20 at the Robal Lane roundabout, the department said.

Southbound traffic on Highway 97 will remain on the existing highway. These changes will be in effect until the new southbound lanes are finished in mid-August.

The $177 million project that is revamping one of the busiest, most congested sections of the highway is expected to be completed by the end of this year, according to previous reporting by The Bulletin.