Bend residents invited to open house for Hawthorne Connections Study and Midtown Crossings Project

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The City of Bend will host an open house on April 7th to provide information on two transportation initiatives: the Hawthorne Connections Study and the Midtown Crossings Project. The in-person event will take place from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Newberry Hotel.

The projects are designed to improve safety and connectivity for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. While the Hawthorne Connections Study is exploring new walking and biking improvements to address network gaps, the Midtown Crossings Project is finalizing designs for safety enhancements on Franklin Avenue.

The Hawthorne Connections Study focuses on walking and biking improvements along Hawthorne Avenue between Third and Fifth streets and Harriman Street between Greenwood and Franklin avenues. This project is designed to address gaps that will eventually connect to the planned Hawthorne Crossing bike and pedestrian bridge. The project team will share street concepts and collect community input to refine the designs.

City officials stated that the Hawthorne project does not currently have funding for full design or construction. The current study is intended to help the city better understand community needs and position the project to receive future funding.

The Midtown Crossings Project is currently focused on improvements to Franklin Avenue between Harriman Street and Fourth Street. This project aims to improve east-west travel between downtown Bend and the Central District. This stage follows the completion of previous project phases that included work on Greenwood Avenue and Second Street.

During the open house, the Midtown Crossings Project team will present the final design for the Franklin Avenue corridor. Staff will also be available to discuss what residents and travelers should expect during the upcoming construction phase.

The in-person event is a drop-in open house located in the Mt. Bachelor Room of the Newberry Hotel at 300 N.W. Franklin Ave. City staff will be present to answer questions about these projects and other nearby developments. For community members unable to attend in person, the city is providing online open houses on each project's respective webpage.

Online public comment periods for both projects will remain open from April 7th to April 23rd. Feedback can be submitted through the Hawthorne Connections Study and Midtown Crossings Project webpages.