A river restoration project at Riverbend Park in Bend is slated to begin this month and close part of the trail and sidewalk to visitors until early 2023. 

The project will begin on Oct. 17 and will take place within Riverbend Park along the Deschutes between the Bill Healy Memorial Bridge and downstream to the Farewell Bend Pedestrian Bridge, the Bend Park & Recreation District and the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council said in a release Thursday. The stretch of trail and sidewalk between those two points will be closed during construction until spring 2023, but a detour will be available.

The project is designed to balance recreational access and the protection of natural habitat along the river. New features to the park will include three designated river access points to avoid harming existing or restored riparian habitat, as well as new informational signs and terraced access for those with mobility issues.

The creation of new habitat, the restoration of existing habitat, and the fencing off of riparian areas will reduce impacts to vegetation and erosion along the riverbanks, the release said. Accessibility will be improved with stone terraced entry steps into the water, and new signs will be placed to educate visitors about past and present river use in the area and the importance of conserving natural resources. 

“We have been working closely with our partners at the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council for over five years on this project, which required an immense amount of detail and coordination, and to see it come to fruition brings a great level of pride and excitement,” said Ian Isaacson, the parks and recreation district manager and landscape architect. “This project will showcase that access and river stewardship do not have to be mutually exclusive, and are in fact a crucial part of BPRD’s mission to better serve the community as it continues to grow.”

A detour of the trail will be available to allow trail users to access trails upstream of the Bill Healy Memorial Bridge. A map is available, the release added.