Possible overcrossing in Bend.

To meet our future transportation needs in Bend, we must be intentional and innovative. Our small city will be home to an estimated 186,000 people by 2065. Failing to plan for that growth is not an option. How we will get around tomorrow will be determined by what we plan for today. As we continue to grow as a community, we should choose how we want to get around our city.

The Hawthorne Avenue Pedestrian and Bicyclist Overcrossing is the most innovative and critical project we are pursuing to shape the future of transportation in Bend. Located in the city’s Core Area, a bridge at Hawthorne will increase connectivity between east and west Bend and dramatically improve safety, especially for those walking and rolling. This bridge will catalyze redevelopment in the heart of the city and symbolize the bridging of east and west Bend into the future. It will also advance our community carbon reduction goals by supporting a new, walkable, bikeable and accessible part of town where driving long distances isn’t required. As we gear up for the 2023 legislative session at the Oregon State Capitol, where funding commitments will be solidified by our representatives, we must ensure that state transportation and infrastructure funding benefits Bend now and into the future.

In Bend, we are challenged by structural divisions in our city; the parkway, the railway and the river are all barriers to safely, quickly and easily moving around town. These barriers leave few comfortable options for people walking, biking or rolling and complicate public transportation options. This lack of safe routes in the heart of the city is hindering the mixed-use development needed to meet Bend’s critical housing and employment needs for the future. Our inability to provide enough homes for people is a critical issue for Bend employers and is stifling economic growth. It’s no wonder, then, that the Hawthorne Overcrossing has widespread and enthusiastic support, among residents, business leaders and environmental advocates alike. Everyone stands to benefit.

The Hawthorne Overcrossing is critical to creating a thriving Bend Central District and Core Area. This is a part of our city slated to accommodate a significant portion of Bend’s future housing and employment growth. A fully funded bridge will catalyze much-needed housing and mixed-use development. It will also help leverage and attract an estimated $250 million in private development. It will improve access to jobs, schools, recreation, stores, transit and lodging. This area will provide future housing that serves people of all incomes within a mile from the proposed bridge location, providing easy, more equitable access to our historic downtown and the Deschutes River.

The Hawthorne Overcrossing is an important part of the plan to improve all of our midtown crossings, including Franklin Avenue and Greenwood Avenue. It supports the community’s desire for transportation improvements that enhance pedestrian and cyclist connectivity and safety and help us meet our goals of equitable climate action as a city and a state. The bridge will also allow us to unlock the Bend Central District’s potential to provide more housing and transportation options to historically marginalized and under-resourced community members.

The Hawthorne Overcrossing is a landmark community project with innumerable benefits to residents, businesses and the climate. Through mechanisms like the 2020 voter-approved General Obligation (GO) Bond and other local funding sources, we have robust local investment that we are eager to leverage through state and federal funding opportunities. This session we have an incredible opportunity to fully fund the forward-looking transportation infrastructure we need. We look forward to working with our local delegation and legislators from across the state to advocate for the equitable investment of state transportation dollars into this critical infrastructure need here in Bend.

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