The work to rebuild the stretch of Highway 20 that wends through downtown Sisters is well underway (construction crews began tearing up the old road in preparation for creating a new one on March 3). And what a project it is! I recently meandered through downtown to get a first-hand look at the work that’s being done with camera in-hand and was captivated by what I saw. As someone who’s never seen a road being built from the ground up (literally), I found the whole process quite fascinating.
If you haven’t yet encountered the site, here’s an idea of what you’re missing:
Yes, it’s chaotic trying to negotiate the big rigs and the mass of road-building materials that litter downtown. But at least it’s an organized chaos! 
Sisters has done a fine job of directing both vehicles and pedestrians around the mess, by incorporating not just plenty of the standard directional road signs but creating a series of its own signs (painted in a soothing shade of sage green) that list for visitors all the businesses that can be found within a given block.
No, this isn’t the ideal scenario for visitors to Sisters, but it’s temporary. And in the long run, Sisters will be the better for it — this is one stretch of highway that was long overdue for an overhaul. In the short term, however, there’s no way it won’t have a negative impact on area businesses. So please keep that in mind before making your next gift purchase or planning a night out on the town. Sisters Country really needs our support to ease the burden of this particular bit of progress, which will benefit us all.
Here are a few more photos of the construction, in case you’re curious:
About the Author
Lisa Broadwater, GRI, CDPE, is a Central Oregon-based real estate professional who specializes in listing and selling homes, especially in Sisters, Tumalo, Bend and Redmond.