The Deschutes National Forest announced Tuesday the approval of a much-anticipated plan to repair or reroute miles of hiking and biking trails west of Bend.

The West Bend Trails Project, as it’s formally known, will reroute approximately 8.8 miles of trail, construct 17.5 miles of new trail and decommission approximately 17 miles of unauthorized trail. So-called “travel management actions” will be taken on roughly 33.3 miles of trails, which is primarily related to changes in vehicle access on those trails.

Rerouting work will be conducted in several areas, including the Dutchman-Swampy Trail, the Tumalo Mountain Trail, the Storm King Trail and Pine Drops. Areas along the Deschutes River Trail are also planned for improvements.

Hiking and biking trails west of Bend have become increasingly crowded in recent years as the population grows and residents flock to outdoor locations in summer for recreation. The west Bend area is also considered a prime destination for tourists who flock to the area from across the state and beyond.

The actions will provide better trail connectivity, improve confusing trail intersections, reduce visitor conflict and provide additional types of trail opportunities, the Forest Service said in a release. Decommissioning of unauthorized trails is also expected to reduce disturbance effects on wildlife.

The final decision to approve the plan was signed Jan. 8 by Kevin Stock, the Bend-Fort Rock District Manager.

Kaitlyn Webb, a spokesperson for the Deschutes National Forest, said work on the trails is expected to begin within the next two years. There is no set budget or completion timeline currently for the project work, she adds.

“We anticipate that the approved actions will be broken into smaller projects for implementation,” said Webb. “This is because much of the work will be done with volunteers and partners and will involve them procuring sources of funding.

The Forest Service said several of its partners have grant applications in the works with the Oregon Recreation and Trails Program and the Visit Bend Sustainability Fund.

“Once work begins, we anticipate that it will take at least several years to complete the full project,” said Webb.

The project also has a story map where the trail work can be quickly reviewed at bendbulletin.us/storymap. Questions about the project can be directed to Emilie Bedard, National Environmental Policy Act planner, at emilie.bedard@usda.gov.