The Bend Park and Recreation Board on Feb. 18 unanimously voted in favor of further exploring the feasibility of a highly supported bike and pedestrian bridge crossing the Deschutes River, near Bend’s southern urban growth boundary.
The decision puts a plan in motion to examine the viability of a trail connection that aims to close one of the last remaining gaps of the Deschutes River Trail. The bridge was first introduced in 2012 as part of a voter-approved bond measure funding BPRD projects. It was initially proposed to connect the DRT, on the south end of Bend, to the Deschutes National Forest, near the Rimrock Trailhead.
The Board’s official vote directs staff to “collaborate with stakeholders and the community to develop and evaluate alternative trail alignments at the southern portion of the Deschutes River Trail to the Deschutes National Forest.”
Due to uncertainties from the Forest Service about the viability of the previously proposed location of the footbridge — including pushback from residents in the area around the proposed bridge — the directive will allow staff to look at alternative locations, while obtaining more information on feasibility, permitting requirements and costs.
Within this workplan, staff will likely look at and study other location options that connect these areas, but that are potentially downstream, and outside of Forest Service property.
“We were just thrilled. What this really lets happen is for us to get reliable information about the project,” said Royce Kallerud, executive director of Connect Bend, a community group formed to advocate for the project.
According to Kallerud, this will be the first time that BPRD has done any significant visioning or scoping work on this project to show people what it would entail.
While support has continued throughout the years, opponents who’ve attempted to block the bridge from moving forward cite environmental concerns and foot traffic near homes in the area. In 2017, some residents in the Bachelor View Road community attempted to ban the bridge with legislation.
The bill, which would have prevented any person, public body or local service district from building a bridge on the Deschutes River within areas of the Deschutes Scenic Waterway, ultimately fell through.
In 2019, following pushback from neighbors and some local officials, BPRD decided to deprioritize the project, to focus on other initiatives, thus slowing down the campaign for the connection.
A renewed interest, however, emerged last year following a BPRD Community Needs Assessment that found 71% of the 900 households participating in the survey supported the bridge. Another 15% of respondents were neutral and 11% were opposed.
“One of the things that’s becoming really clear is that the project will create incredible opportunities for conservation and equitable public access throughout the Rimrock area,” Kallerud told the Source Weekly.
The Board reintroduced this project after it asked staff on July 16 to investigate possible work plans to move the project forward. According to Nathan Hovekamp, a BPRD board member, the project was brought up again because the public interest has continued. At the Feb. 18 meeting, Hovekamp said the Board should get more information on the project in order to make an informed decision in the future.
This article appears in The Source Weekly February 13, 2025.
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This is hilarious. Bend, a city that is in bed with developers and Brooks Resources can’t pull the trigger on a footbridge?! You can’t make this stuff up. Since when does the city give a darn about residents concerns?