City of Bend, Bend Park and Recreation District leaders hold joint meeting to address transportation Initiatives

(Update; adding video, comments by Bend’s chief operating officer, Bend Park & Rec’s principal planner)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Tuesday night, in a significant step towards improving local infrastructure, two agencies held a joint meeting to discuss collaborative transportation projects with Bend City Council members.

As the City of Bend continues to grow up and out, one of the most important collaborations is between the city and the Bend Park and Recreation District.

The gathering focused on enhancing connectivity, safety, and accessibility in parks while improving the city’s overall transportation network.

All of these projects have a hefty price tag.

City of Bend, Chief Operating Officer/Assistant City Manager Russ Grayson said, "Infrastructure is really, really expensive, so one of the things we're trying to do is maximize the existing investment that we have in the infrastructure that is built. One of the things we search for funding is everywhere we can, so the Hawthorne Bridge is a good example where we've got federal and state money.”

Key projects on the agenda included:

• Connections to Juniper Park, the Hawthorne Bridge over the Parkway, now in its design phase
• North Unit Canal Trail Project
• Drake Park and Deschutes River Trail improvements
• Replacing structures holding up the Gilchrist Bridge and Drake Park Bridge

The Bend Park and Recreation District says they recognize the importance of promoting walkable, drivable and bike-friendly spaces.

Park District Principal Planner Henry Stroud said, “My focus has really been on how do we make the points where our trail system crosses the roadway safe. We try to make accommodations for vehicles, for cyclists, for all sorts of users to be able to access our parks in many different ways.”

Stroud also said Bend Park and Recreation will continue to get the community’s input, as they look at projects throughout the planning process.

Bend is growing at a fast pace, which means there are many changes coming to the city, including our parks, our trails, our canals and our bridges.