A cheap and seemingly straightforward street improvement in northeast Bend — a crosswalk — has drawn ire from nearby residents and the leader of an accessibility-focused advocacy group, who’s promised to picket at the site.

Construction on a crosswalk on 27th Street just north of Conners Avenue is expected to begin later this month, following a 5-1 vote by the City Council on April 4 to approve an $80,000 contract with Eugene-based Brown Contracting Inc. It’s one of several projects identified as a priority by the city’s accessibility advisory committee because of the intersection’s proximity to medical offices, senior housing and bus stops.

“I think this is a smart use of a small amount of money to protect a lot of people,” Councilor Barb Campbell said before voting to approve the project. “Eighty thousand dollars to protect some pedestrians is smart and a good way to save some people until we decide a long-term fix for that intersection.”

But since February, city employees and councilors have received dozens of emails from nearby residents, including the leader of a homeowners association, and Brian Douglass, chief advocate of Advocates for Disabled Americans Inc., all opposing the crosswalk. Many of these missives conflate the crosswalk and a proposed extended-stay hotel on the northeast corner of the intersection, but the two projects are unrelated.

Douglass referred to the project as a “crosswalk to nowhere” and said he views it as a waste of city money. He’s pushing for a four-way stop as an interim measure, with a signalized intersection to follow.

“We’ve never seen that much foot traffic there,” Douglass said. “The problem is getting cars onto 27th safely.”

Two Bend committees — one focused on accessibility and one on safety — recommended building the crosswalk instead of waiting to get the funds necessary for more extensive and expensive intersection improvements.

Carol Fulkerson, a disability advocate with the Central Oregon Coalition for Access, said she visits the area regularly because her doctor and physical therapist are there. Her organization generally supports improved crossings, she said.

“Right now, it’s bad for people trying to cross that street,” Fulkerson said. “If a person takes the bus to a medical appointment and then needs to cross the street, it’s not safe.”

Councilor Nathan Boddie, who also works as a physician at Mosaic Medical near the 27th and Conners intersection, said he knows a lot of elderly residents and other people who receive medical services in the area.

“Paint is cheap,” he said. “I’m all for better improvements for this intersection in the future. If we can save a life somewhere along the way with a crosswalk, I’m fine doing it in the meantime.”

Building a crosswalk now doesn’t preclude future improvements, Rory Rowan, a city project engineer, told the City Council. Turning the intersection into a fully lighted one with street lights would cost about $1.3 million, money that would most likely come from transportation fees paid by developers.

Monica Melkonian, chairwoman of the Mountain View neighborhood association, said she really wants to see a good long-term solution at the intersection and trusts Bend’s transportation engineers to find the best approach. The neighborhood association plans to present its priorities to a citywide committee working on Bend’s 20-year transportation plan later this year, and 27th Street and Conners Avenue will most likely be on that list, she said.

“I’m more on the side of trying to work with the city and their processes,” she said.

A road bond proposal is likely to result from work done by that citywide committee, but Douglass said he plans to present his own bond proposal for accessibility-related projects. Bonds must be approved by voters, and they’re repaid through additions to residents’ property taxes.

“We’re in the process of putting together a proposal for a general obligation bond that will obviously come before the council and hopefully go to the ballot in November,” Douglass said. “There’s nothing I’ve seen or heard that says citizens can’t petition the government to bond if it has the bonding authority to do so, and Bend obviously has that.”

Federal law already requires any new road project or major improvements — like those that would result from a city road bond — to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, said Karin Morris, Bend’s accessibility manager. That means new roads need to have accessible curb ramps at all pedestrian crossings.

The city also has to make accessibility improvements when it does intensive work — such as last year’s construction on a major sewer pipeline that resulted in tearing up large portions of 27th Street. Morris’ office also has a small pot of money it can use for other accessibility-related improvements and to remove barriers.

She said she didn’t see anything related to accessibility in Douglass’ many emails to city councilors and employees.

“All I’ve seen is we disagree with this because of the neighborhood,” Morris said. “I have not seen any actual accessibility-related concern that he’s citing.”

— Reporter: 541-633-2160; jshumway@bendbulletin.com