The City of Bend’s 2025 Street Preservation Program has wrapped up after City street crews and contractors improved 67 lane miles of Bend’s approximately 930 lane miles of roads for about $4.85 million. This year, work focused on using the right treatment at the right time to provide the most cost-effective public road maintenance. Street preservation this season included:
- Paving – Old asphalt is ground out and replaced on the existing roadway.
- Slurry seal – A treatment for low-volume residential streets.
- Chip seal – An asphalt emulsion and rock are applied to streets.
“This work helps extend the life of our roads that are vital to our community,” said Streets & Operations Project Manager Paul Neiswonger.
As seasons shift, the Transportation & Mobility Department is getting ready for winter operations and is asking everyone to do their part to prepare for winter. Learn what to expect during the winter in Bend at bendoregon.gov/winter.
The City’s resources are set for the average winter, but the occasional extreme storms can be challenging. The City has 18 snowplow operators per shift and 32 pieces of equipment. The equipment ranges from light-duty pickups to medium-duty dump trucks to heavy-duty (two motor graders) with snowplows.
The City prioritizes plowing and sanding on the highest-use streets that accommodate the most drivers, major employment areas, schools and transit routes. The City’s winter street priority map at bendoregon.gov/snow illustrates which routes get plowed first. Crews prioritize plowing main arterials as “Priority One” for emergency vehicle access and the traveling public, also focusing on routes to the Hospital, transit routes, employment centers, government facilities, and schools. “Priority Two” streets are typically main collector streets connecting to the arterials and include business centers, medical facilities, safe routes to school, transit routes, connecting neighborhoods, etc. Residential streets are typically done last and may be supported with contracted crews. With 165 lane miles of main arterials, 82 lane miles of collectors and 687 lane miles of local residential streets, crews cannot plow and sand all roads at the same time and must follow this prioritized plan.
