Oregon Department of Transportation officials received a cool reception Wednesday night at a public hearing concerning proposals to reroute U.S. Highway 97 on Bend’s north side.

Roughly 200 people attended the event at The Riverhouse to weigh in on the two proposals ODOT is considering.

The plans are largely similar on the south side of the project, calling for four new travel lanes a short distance east of the current highway alignment between the U.S. Highway 97 and U.S. Highway 20 interchange and Cooley Road. The current highway would become a local road, an extension of Third Street, providing access to the Cascade Village Shopping Center and other nearby businesses.

North of Cooley Road, the plans diverge. In one variation, a newly built section of Third Street would tie in to the highway just south of the cemetery with a limited-access interchange. In the second, Third Street would swing west and connect to the highway about half a mile north of the cemetery with a large, diamond-style interchange.

The second version would cut directly though the rural Hunnell neighborhood, home to many of the attendees at Wednesday’s hearing.

Dina Barker spoke of raising chickens and cows at her home on Bowrey Road, a lifestyle she said would be significantly diminished if the project were built. Doing nothing to address traffic on Bend’s north side would be “short sighted,” Barker said, but either of ODOT’s proposals would solve the problem at the expense of her neighborhood.

“We moved to that area for the peace and quiet, for where it was,” Barker said. “Our ability to enjoy our homes is going to be impacted no matter which of the plans is in place.”

Michel Bayard said the second alternative would divert up to 75 percent of the traffic currently using the highway though his neighborhood. Though the traffic volume would effectively urbanize the neighborhood, residents would enjoy none of the benefits, Bayard said — unless Deschutes County agrees to change the exclusive farm use zoning on his and other properties, property owners will find it all but impossible to sell their land.

“They don’t want to change the zoning to prevent sprawl to the north,” Bayard said. “So, we’re locked.”

Businesses in the path of the reroute also offered criticism of the project.

Leonard Weitman of Bend Broadband said ODOT’s proposals would significantly harm his business, which has its headquarters off Empire Avenue on the far south end of the project. Work on Empire would reduce access to Bend Broadband offices for trucks and emergency vehicles, Weitman said, and would require the removal of hundreds of fiber optic conductors, potentially interrupting cable and internet services for much of the region for an extended period.

Seth King, an attorney representing Lowe’s, said the proposals would eliminate two driveways serving the home improvement store, creating congestion. A widening of Cooley Road could also require Lowe’s to rebuild its freight access driveway, which could create a driveway too steep to be used by large trucks.

Testimony critical

Bob Bryant, Region 4 Manager for ODOT, said before the hearing he expected much of the testimony to be critical. Rerouting a highway in an urban area will always have negative impacts on someone, Bryant said, adding that his agency has worked to develop plans that keep the impacts at a minimum while addressing capacity needs.

Testimony delivered at Wednesday’s meeting will be forwarded to the Federal Highway Administration, which must determine ODOT has adequately addressed community concerns before any federal highway funds are made available.

Bryant said it’s anticipated the federal government will cover 90 percent of the cost of construction, currently estimated between $170 million and $220 million.