Say ‘farewell’ to aging Farewell Bend footbridge
A bridge vital to the Deschutes River trail network will be getting a replacement in the coming year.
Farewell Bridge is by the Old Mill District, where Farewell Bend Park connects to Riverbend Park.
On Monday evening, the Bend Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the Bend Park and Recreation District’s draft plans for a replacement bridge because of wear and tear on the decades-old wooden span.
“The timber piles, as well as decking and structure members, is deteriorating,” said Barry Johnson, project engineer from Parametrix. “The recent report we did late summer shows there’s significant structural deficiencies there.”
City Senior Planner Karen Swenson estimated the bridge was built in the 1940s.
The existing wooden bridge is 136 feet, while the new steel truss bridge with a wooden deck will reach 160 feet in length.
The wooden bridge is 16 feet wide, and the new one will be narrower, at 12 feet wide, but will hold more people.
The new bridge also will have cables to prevent people from jumping off the bridge.
“This steel truss bridge will have a much longer lifespan, and will also include some cabling, similar to First Street Rapids Bridge, to keep people from jumping off the bridge,” Swanson said, referring to a summertime activity officials seek to discourage.
Park district landscape architect Jim Figurski estimates the total cost between $650,000 and $700,000.
Figurski said construction could start in the spring and run through the summer, affecting events that use the bridge.
Both Johnson and Figurski assured planning commissioners any vegetation affected during construction will be replaced with others native to the area.
Bend resident Sandra Miller has lived on the west side for 39 years. As she and her son walked her dog Sammy on Monday evening, she said she hopes the new bridge will fit into the scenery.
“I hope it’s not too slick looking,” she said. “I hope it fits in to this lovely, rustic feel of this place.”
Miller said her husband is in a wheelchair, and they love the accessibility the bridge has offered them.
