Published 7:30 am Thursday, May 14, 2026 Mayor says scaled-back project could start in 2028 The city of Redmond and Oregon Department of Transportation have set their sights on a possible repaving project of South U.S. Highway 97 from Yew Avenue to Veterans Way in the next couple years. A full $75 million improvement project of the highway’s south corridor that would include road safety and pedestrian upgrades has been in the planning stages since 2020. But Mayor Ed Fitch says it’s still likely five to seven years down the road. Kacey Davey, spokesperson for ODOT, told the Spokesman in an email that ODOT recently finished a concept-level design of Redmond’s South Highway 97 would cost around $75 million. That project would require substantial grant funding, Davey said, as ODOT does not currently the money on hand to take on that kind of work. “In the meantime, ODOT is looking for funding to keep the pavement in a state of good repair,” Davey said.…