The Jan. 10 front page article in The Bulletin announcing the city of Bend’s intent to build a 20-foot-wide footbridge over Highway 97 and the Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railway prompted me to give it a close read, particularly when it mentioned a price tag of up to $36 million.

Who will pay for this? We’ll look at at that later. It’s more than apparent the city is committed to expand the bike network throughout the area and needs to connect East Bend with West Bend, while at the same time intending to make walking and biking easier between East Bend, the Central District and downtown. These are laudable objectives.

But let’s look at the proposed crossing site and ask the question: Why a footbridge at Hawthorne and not at Franklin Avenue?

Facts: Bend population growth is estimated to grow by 20% or so — that’s 20,000 new residents — by 2035 if not before. New residents will come in vehicles. They will not walk here or bike here. They will use their vehicles to navigate the area and access business, social and recreational needs. Some will also recreate on bikes.

With a population of 105,000 growing to 125,000 residents, the city will need every existing roadway, intersection and transportation connection to avoid gridlock. Closing any major or minor roadway connection or intersection challenges the logic to close the Hawthorne exit to vehicular traffic when it can be kept open and made safer with extended deceleration off ramps and extended on ramps at minimal expense. Taxpayers paid for the Hawthorne exit. Why throw that money out the window?

A foot/bicycle bridge at the Hawthorne location is a bridge to nowhere, both on the east and west sides of Highway 97. Take a look at a map and envision where walkers and bikers have to come from in order to access the proposed bridge and the neighborhoods they have to go through to reach any destination, east or west.

Closing the Hawthorne exit will hurt the downtown business community because buyers and drivers will choose to not deal with exiting at Revere, Colorado or Lafayette due to the increased traffic, roadway disconnection and congestion. Buyers will increase their shopping on the internet and downtown shop owners will suffer accordingly. If one doubts congestion in the future, just look at the intersection of Reed Market and Bond Ave. and think 10 years down the road.

Franklin Avenue stands out as the obvious choice for a footbridge. Franklin is a significant roadway connecting east and west Bend. Doesn’t it make sense to use the $36 million to build a footbridge and simultaneously improve Franklin Avenue, one of the few key east/west thoroughfares? Franklin is going to have to be improved sooner or later. Why not reach for more value now with our taxpayer money? The taxpayers are the ones ponying up the $36 million.

A Franklin Avenue footbridge accommodates business owners who have invested in their downtown businesses and keeps the Hawthorne exit open, which we will desperately need in the future and which can be made safer with minimal expense. It accomplishes the objectives of a footbridge connecting east with west Bend and connects east Bend, the Central District and downtown. It also spends our $36 million much more wisely, giving taxpayers much more bang for their buck.

Editor’s Note

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