Cars drive through the intersection of SE 3rd Street and SE Reed Market Road in a snowy Bend.(Andy Tullis/Bulletin file photo)

Traffic in Bend is heavier than during the last economic boom a decade ago, but according to recent U.S. Census Bureau statistics, the average resident’s commute is still around 15 minutes.

That probably feels like a relief to people who recently moved from Portland or San Francisco, but traffic counts suggest the good times won’t last.

“You’re going to see that travel time continue to grow,” said Tyler Deke, manager of the Bend Metropolitan Planning Organization, which leads transportation planning for the Bend area.

Average weekday traffic volumes at key points along U.S. Highway 97 and Third Street have surpassed previous highs, and Deke said people are experiencing longer delays on the evening leg of their commutes.

Between 2010 and 2015, the average morning commute for Bend residents increased from 15.3 minutes to 15.7 minutes, or 24 seconds, according to the American Community Survey’s latest five-year estimate, released in December.

The statistics don’t reflect commuting time for people who live in another county or city other than Bend. The average travel time to work for Deschutes County was 18.5 minutes in 2015, according to the ACS, while in Crook County it was 21.3 minutes.

Much of Bend’s labor pool is living south of Sunriver and in La Pine, said Damon Runberg, Central Oregon economist for the Oregon Employment Department. It may take a long time for that trend to affect average commute times, he said. “The vast majority of workers in a community live in that community,” he said.

Across Central Oregon, a significant portion of workers, 45 percent or more, reported commutes of 15 minutes or less in 2015. By contrast, only 24 percent of Portland residents report a under-15-minute commute.

In Deschutes County, another chunk of the workforce, 36 percent, spend 15 to 30 minutes on the road.

Anything longer is rare for Deschutes County residents, but in Crook County, almost 11 percent of workers are spending 45 minutes to 60 minutes commuting.

Matt Hall, who drives to the city of Bend’s utility department on Boyd Acres Road from his home south of Sunriver, said the most difficult part of his commute is getting onto the Bend Parkway from Empire Avenue in the afternoon. He works from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“You don’t think of Bend being big enough to have a rush hour,” Hall said. “I have noticed a difference on the commute home.”

Average weekday traffic at Empire and U.S. Highway 97 in July was 60,571 cars, which is 12 percent above the prerecession peak in July 2007, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Traffic volume at Revere Avenue and Third Street, another location where ODOT regularly conducts vehicle counts, was 16 percent above its prerecession peak in July with 58,894 vehicles.

Commuters may encounter fewer headaches on a weekday morning than they do at other times. With the tourism-driven economy, traffic volumes can be higher on weekends, Deke said. Some locations have the same traffic volume at midday as at 9 a.m., reflecting the fact that many people in Bend have destinations other than work.

Evening delays are growing at choke points such as Reed Market Road and Third Street, Deke said, but Bend is unusual in that the evening peak is still relatively concentrated. Instead of lasting from 4:30 to 6 p.m. or later, it subsides by 5:30 p.m., he said.

That makes it easier for commuters to avoid delays by shifting their hours. Deke said he already knows some business owners who changed their work hours to avoid traffic, and he thinks that will become more common. “People start changing their travel behaviors,” Deke said.

C.J. McQuillen, who moved to Redmond two years ago from Washington, said she doesn’t mind the length of her commute to Bend, which is 22 miles long and takes less than 30 minutes. She’s thinking about moving to Bend, however, because she feels commuting is dangerous. Last year she was hit by a car while cycling on the Bend-Redmond Highway. This winter, she’s been disturbed by the number of fatal vehicle accidents on U.S. Highway 97 north of Bend.

“One of the things I wrote on my New Year’s resolution list is to start looking for a place closer to work,” McQuillen said.

— Reporter: 541-617-7860, kmclaughlin@bendbulletin.com.

Average travel time 
to work

City of Bend: 15.7 minutes

Deschutes County: 18.5 minutes

Crook County: 21.3 minutes

City of Portland: 25 minutes

U.S.: 25.9 minutes

Source: U.S. Census Bureau