News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Getting through Sisters from east to west seemed quite a bit easier than usual during the Memorial Day holiday Monday, May 26.
Sisters Public Works Director Gary Frazee thinks the temporary detour that took westbound traffic down Main Street and out Forest Service Road 100 helped Sisters avoid the traditional downtown holiday log jam.
"I think it actually worked," Frazee said. "I think what we did was take enough of the edge off to alleviate the congestion."
Frazee drove around the loop continually from 1 to 6 p.m. during the holiday to monitor traffic flows.
"I never really saw any traffic backed up," he said.
The smooth flow was not due to lighter traffic, according to Frazee. He said that the Oregon State Police reported normal to above-normal holiday traffic and bumper-to-bumper conditions near Black Butte.
The detour still allowed travelers to continue on Cascade. Frazee said the detour was used in groups. When a couple of cars broke off, others followed.
Those using the detour had at most a minute-and-a-half wait at the intersection of Road 100 and Highway 20, according to Frazee.
The detour may have siphoned off vehicle traffic, but, according to Frazee, it didn't inhibit retail traffic. Frazee said he talked to numerous merchants, including gas station proprietors, who all reported good days -- some to a record level.
"I haven't talked to anybody who wasn't totally pleased with their weekend as far as retail sales," Frazee said.
The detour will likely be used again. Frazee was uncertain whether it will be used during the Sisters Rodeo weekend, but he said it should be used again over the Fourth of July holiday.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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