City officials on Sunday will officially name the new Deschutes River bridge, connecting Highway 97 and the Bend Parkway to Century Drive, after one of the founders of the Mount Bachelor ski resort.

The Bill Healy Memorial Bridge, named after the World War II veteran credited with the development of the ski resort in the 1950s, will be dedicated at a ceremony at 11 a.m. Sunday on the west side of the new bridge.

”Without Bill Healy and the rest of Mount Bachelor, the city would not have had the visibility it has nor the recognition of being such a premier area for outdoor recreation,” said Bill Friedman, a Bend City Council member.

The Bend City Council voted unanimously on Sept. 19 to name the bridge after Healy. The bridge will effectively extend Reed Market Road west over the Deschutes River to Century Drive.

Healy, who died in 1993, learned to ski with the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division.

In 1958, the furniture store owner had collected $75,000 to lease land from the U.S. Forest Service on what was then known as Bachelor Butte.

The dedication marks the first time in city history that a structure has been used to acknowledge a well-known resident, according to city spokeswoman Laura Rumpler.

The bridge dedication will take place on the same day as the inaugural Log Jam Bridge Run, which begins at 8:30 a.m. For registration information, call 318-8513.

Chris Barker can be reached at 541-617-7829 or at cbarker@bendbulletin.com.