Bend Local Frequency: Transit Upgrades, Road Work, and Housing Challenges

Good morning, this is your Bend Local Frequency for Saturday, April 4. Kicking off today with some welcome news for commuters and explorers alike, Cascades East Transit is rolling out big upgrades starting May 4, making it easier than ever to ditch the car and hop on a bus around Bend. Picture this: Routes 1 and 4 along Third Street will zip by every 15 minutes during peak weekday hours, cutting wait times in half from the current 30. Other busy spots near Neff Road, St. Charles Medical Center, and parts of 27th Street get the same boost, with peak service on additional routes jumping from 45 to 30 minutes. They are even adding a fresh stop at the Central Library on May 11, perfect for book lovers without a ride. And get this, a brand new route launches May 5 in Jefferson County, linking Warm Springs and Madras to Kah-Nee-Ta and Simnasho, opening doors to jobs, healthcare, and those epic recreational spots we all crave. These changes promise cleaner buses, sharper schedules, and top-notch service, so check out cascadeseasttransit.com or call 541-385-8680 to plan your next adventure. Shifting gears to our roads, stay sharp out there because construction is in full swing. From April 5 to 11, Tumalo Reservoir Road closes fully between Tyler and Bailey Roads for excavation, with a detour in place but local access preserved, and expect flaggers and up to 20-minute delays elsewhere on that stretch from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays. Down in La Pine, S Century Drive at Huntington Road sees asphalt work with lane closures and an all-way stop, plus a full Huntington closure starting April 13. Bear Creek Road in Bend stays shut between Dantili Way and the irrigation canal through early April, and US 97 in Terrebonne has night closures on Lower Bridge Way. Plan ahead via TripCheck or Deschutes County roads at 541-388-6581 to keep your weekend smooth. On a tougher note, stories from former China Hat camp residents in the Deschutes National Forest highlight real heartbreak from last years eviction. Folks like Chris Walston lost RVs, tools, and irreplaceable items after struggling to reclaim them despite calling the hotline dozens of times, with rangers often giving just an hour amid repairs and health issues. Over 100 vehicles sat impounded, picked over by scavengers, as the 90-day window closed, leaving many at Juniper Ridge, which itself shutters by June 2027. Advocates push for accountability, underscoring how Bend's skyrocketing housing costs have doubled homelessness here since 2017, turning forest spots into makeshift homes amid wildfire risks and restoration needs. For builders, Hooker Creek is hosting a free full-day seminar soon on tackling challenges with the new standard concrete material, a game-changer for Central Oregon projects. Meanwhile, keep an eye on community pulses like the recent No Kings protest drawing thousands and fresh housing buzz in West Bend. This has been Bend Local Frequency. Well see you tomorrow with more local updates. For