Big changes ahead for Bend: residents weigh in at open house
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The city of Bend hosted an open house, on Tuesday, to share information about the Franklin Project and others, including the Hawthorne Crossing. Members from several city teams were on hand to answer questions, explain design changes, and gather feedback from residents.
Todd Johnson, Senior Engineer with the City of Bend, said community input plays a key role in shaping city projects.
“the reason why we have these open houses is just the feed back. It really helpes shape the design of what we build.”
He added that new bike infrastructure is designed to make cycling safer and more intuitive.
“As you're coming out of the protected bike lane you can go on the cycle track which is curb separated bike path.”
Around one hundred people attended Tuesday’s event. Reactions were mixed, though many said they left with a better understanding of what’s planned.
Bend resident Tamara Houston appreciated seeing the infrastructure designs up close.
"It did. You know, I think one thing that's, tricky for everybody is like, what's happening when we take out car lanes. And so, like, looking at some of the infrastructure designs that they put in place to help accommodate bikes and cars and, and maybe actually, it's not that different than what it is, it's just that the bikes are separated and the pedestrians are separated from the cars a little differently"
As for the Hawthorne Project, city officials are exploring the possibility of expanding crossing areas, but those ideas are still in the early stages.
While many residents expressed excitement about improved bike and pedestrian access, several business owners voiced concern about what construction and lane changes could mean for their businesses.
The Hawthorne Connections Study focuses on two road segments intended to fill gaps in the city's bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. The first segment involves Hawthorne Avenue between Third Street and Fifth Street, which would provide safer access to destinations such as the Juniper Swim & Fitness Center. The second segment covers Harriman Street between Greenwood Avenue and Franklin Avenue to improve access to the planned Hawthorne Crossing bridge. This bridge is designed to carry pedestrians and cyclists over the Parkway and Railroad.
The Midtown Crossings Project includes final design details for Franklin Avenue from Harriman Street to NE Fourth Street. Planned improvements for this stretch include new separated sidewalks and bike lanes, upgraded lighting, landscaping and signage. The project also involves new railings near the undercrossing, painting and various water and stormwater management infrastructure. These changes are intended to reduce traffic conflict points and calm vehicle speeds.
The Second Street waterline project aims to replace aging infrastructure to improve the resiliency of the water system across Bend. Crews will replace an existing 12-inch cast iron water main with an 18-inch ductile iron main. This upsized pipe will increase water capacity between the Awbrey Reservoir and the Pilot Butte Reservoir while bringing the system up to current standards.
Utility construction on Franklin Avenue between NE First Street and NE Fourth Street is scheduled to begin in April.
