The main highway through Madras is finally in line for meaningful improvements, but local leaders say the safety crisis on Highway 97 — particularly the dangerous corridor between Terrebonne and Madras — demands more urgent action than the state has yet committed to.
Downtown Madras Improvements
An Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) project is in the works to improve U.S. Highway 97 and U.S. Highway 26 through the heart of Madras. The project — covering roughly milepost 91.58 to 97.00 on Highway 97 and milepost 116.40 to 117.71 on Highway 26 — will bring new sidewalks, traffic signal upgrades, and repaving to the city's main commercial corridor.
ODOT also unveiled plans to the public this year, engaging with business owners and residents along the affected routes. The project will require coordination with businesses that depend on vehicle traffic and access during construction.
The Deadlier Problem: Terrebonne to Madras
While the downtown improvements are welcome, the more pressing safety issue lies on the 15 miles of open highway between Terrebonne and Madras — a stretch that ODOT's own safety study has identified as having a dangerous pattern of fatal and serious injury crashes, including head-on collisions.
A Central Oregon coalition of local governments and advocates has been pressing ODOT to prioritize that corridor for safety investments, including median barriers and widened shoulders similar to concrete medians recently installed between Bend and Redmond.
"The Redmond-to-Madras segment in particular has a documented history of fatal and serious injury crashes, including head-on and weather-related collisions. Constituents have been voicing concerns for years. Residents, freight operators, and emergency responders all understand that this corridor is both essential and dangerous."
That was the message delivered by coalition leaders to state transportation officials in March 2026. ODOT representatives cautioned that the improvements being requested "cost a lot of money and ODOT doesn't have a lot of discretionary funds" — a familiar refrain in a state facing a significant transportation budget shortfall.
What Residents Can Do
Local leaders have encouraged residents to contact their state legislators and express support for Highway 97 safety investments in Jefferson County. The highway is a critical economic corridor — the main route for freight, commuters, and visitors entering and leaving Jefferson County — and its safety record has real consequences for families throughout the region.
ODOT project information is available through the state's project portal, and residents can also attend Jefferson County Board of Commissioners meetings, where transportation advocacy has been a recurring agenda item.