BPRD finishes $2.6 million upgrade of the Haul Road Trail, linking Westside to the forest
Federal Lands Access Program grant funded majority of work
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Bend Park and Recreation District, in partnership with the city of Bend and Western Federal Lands, said Tuesday it recently completed an important trail revitalization project that provides an alternative transportation route through Bend’s west side and connects to public forest lands.
BPRD received a Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP) grant to improve three miles of the Haul Road Trail, from McKay Park westward to the Deschutes National Forest.
Connecting to the Rim Rock Trail, the project provides paved access to the Cascade Lakes Welcome Station. The goal of the grant program is to improve transportation facilities that provide access to, are adjacent to, or are located within federal lands, with a focus on high-use recreation sites.
Done in partnership with the city of Bend, the improved Haul Road Trail provides for enhanced recreational and transportation use with an accessible, traffic-separated connection from town to a network of trails in the Deschutes National Forest.
“Heavily used, the Haul Road Trail showed decades and wear and tear. But now, the trail improvement project is ready to connect seamlessly to our wonderland of public land,” said Bronwen Mastro, BPRD project manager and landscape architect. “We thank the city of Bend, property owners and Western Federal Lands for coming together to complete a much-needed and important project.”
Identified as a primary, multi-use trail, the 20-year-old Haul Road Trail was repaved, and the 1.5-mile previously unpaved section was paved to be a consistent surface experience and to improve ADA compliance.
“The newly paved haul trail serves a dual purpose as a flagship recreational amenity and a low-stress active transportation option,” said City of Bend Assistant City Engineer Janet Hruby. “With the recently built greenways along 15th Street and Delaware Avenue, people can ride between the Visitors Center, Century Drive residential areas and business districts.”
Construction began in July and was completed in early November. The $2 million grant funded the majority of the trail improvements; the park district directed $685,000 to the project. For more details, visit the project webpage and trail webpage.
