The 30-day public comment period for a project to increase connections for nonmotorized vehicle and foot traffic between Bend and the trails around the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway begins today, according to Amy Tinderholt with the Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District.

The project goal is a 3.4-mile paved path to connect the Bend Park & Recreation District’s Haul Road to the planned Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway Welcome Station — a proposed trailhead and parking area with a 40-vehicle capacity. Additionally, paved and nonpaved trails will be constructed, rerouted or rehabilitated between Tyler’s Traverse, Phil’s trail system and the COD mountain bike trail to make connections with the Cascade Lakes Highway bicycle and pedestrian under-crossing near Seventh Mountain Resort.

“This is the time for people to provide us with any comments of concern or support about the project,” Tinderholt said.

“This is not a voting process, but from the comments we will suss out the issues related to the comments and address them.”

An already existing safe-passage tunnel just west of Seventh Mountain Resort allows people to cross the Byway without encountering motorized traffic. The paved portion of the trail will allow people in that area better access to Bend without having to share the road with cars, said Jean Nelson-Dean, public affairs officer with the United States Forest Service.

“This isn’t just important to the mountain biking community,” she said. “This will open up the walking trails and broaden the opportunities for people to recreate in that area.”

The Welcome Station will be a one-story, approximately 1,500-square-foot building at the intersection of the Cascade Lakes Highway and Forest Road 41, the road leading to Dillon Falls about six miles southwest of Bend and just past the Seventh Mountain Resort. The bulk of the funding for the construction — $1.3 million — will come from a Federal Highway Administration grant.

The design process is underway and construction will begin on the Welcome Station next spring, Tinderholt said.

“We really wanted to create this connectivity, so that folks at the Welcome Station would have options on what type of trail they wanted to ride.”

Trail construction and rerouting would likely take place in summer 2015.

“We have received a grant of $854,000 for trail construction,” Tinderholt said. “We are hoping that will cover the whole thing.”

Central Oregon Trail Alliance is very interested in the project and has agreed to help with building the trails.

“They have a great interest in connecting the trail system,” she said. “They’re also very interested in the rerouting of the COD trail because it will make portions of the trail more difficult and more fun for folks to ride.”

— Reporter: 541-383-0376

sking@bendbulletin.com