ODOT Seeks Feedback On Hwy 97/Baker Rd Interchange The future of transportation infrastructure investment and development in south Bend, and around the U.S. 97/Baker Road Interchange, will be the focus of two upcoming online events hosted by the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Region 4 Office in Bend. The interchange was constructed in the early 1990s, primarily to serve the sparsely populated rural lands south of Bend. Since that time, the City of Bend’s population nearly quadrupled, leading to heavier congestion and crashes. With population growth in the area expected to continue, ODOT planners are preparing an Interchange Area Management Plan (IAMP) to evaluate how the existing US 97/Baker Road interchange operates and to determine what measures are needed to keep it functioning well over the next 20 years.