Hwy 97 Bend to Redmond road conditions wintertime (house, place to live)

[Cor125]

Might be moving to Redmond. I will work in Bend. Can anyone tell me what Hwy 97 is like during the winter. Especially concerned about black ice at night. Would a 4 wheel drive advisable?

[oregonwoodsmoke]

If there is snow, the highway is well plowed. Yes, black ice is common all over Central Oregon. If you drive where there is black ice, put studs on your car.

There are always a couple of wrecks on the highway every time it snows. Inevitably it involves a 4WD that has gone out of control. 4WD is useful in the snow, but you still can't drive like you would drive on a dry road. 4WD will not stop you on ice.

[Dry Side]

Why wouldn't you also live in Bend so you could avoid the commute?

[Thom52]

Originally Posted by Dry Side

Why wouldn't you also live in Bend so you could avoid the commute?

Not to put words in the ops mouth....I am guessing cost of housing maybe?

I desperately wanted to like Redmond for place to live, regardless of getting a job in Bend or Redmond. The exact house in Redmond as Bend is likely to cost you $100k less in Redmond. That is quite a selling point.
Alas, Redmond was a bit too much desert for me, and not quite as convenient for all the amenities, so my compromise was to find a nice cheap little place on the arse end of Bend west side.
But I could certainly see the appeal of Redmond.

I don't think the Redmond-Bend commute should be a big deal, based on the research I did. A couple of crashes a year seems pretty minimal, as I am coming from the Seattle area which has crashes resulting in miles long backups on a daily basis.

You will have to put up with a bit of backup getting into Bend. This is a big deal or not, depending on what you are used to. Coming from the Seattle area, it is laughable, but still there.

Remember, there is generally less snow and ice as you go north, which is counter intuitive. i.e. Redmond will have less snow than Bend, and Bend has less snow than Sunriver.....etc.

IMHO investing in super high quality studless tires for winter use and swapping them out on your front wheel drive car (all wheels of course) would be better investment than 4WD. (I have a subie, as do 90% of the people in central oregon, so take it with a grain of salt.) Studs for ice being better than GOOD true snow tires has been pretty much debunked with many tests, and studs rip up the roads. Invest in a spare set of wheels and some Blizzaks or Hakkapellita or similar snow tires. And then drive carefully for the conditions. Slow and smooth, let those jerks race by, with the smug thought that you may see them turtled and spinning down the road.

No studs. the roads are ripped up badly enough. Don't take my word, google the latest research.

[Coniferian]

It seems like many of the central Oregon crashes are caused by someone veering into the opposite lane, usually not weather-related. I suspect texting, but if ODOT could afford a cable barrier down the 97 medium between Redmond and LaPine, it would reduce the fatalities, especially as it's now 65 mph.

After commuting into Denver from the foothills for 30 years, a fifteen mile drive from Redmond to Bend seems easy. And yes, the average house in Redmond is $100K less - and we don't have potholes in the roads.