About
The Hawthorne Crossing will connect Hawthorne Avenue for people walking, biking or using a mobility device with a bridge over both the railroad and Bend Parkway (U.S. 97). This will create a calmer, safer connection for people biking, walking and rolling between east and west Bend.
The project is now in the final design phase. With federal funding requirements, ODOT is now managing the project, with the City of Bend as a heavily engaged partner, supporting the bridge design development.
Historically, there have been physical, socioeconomic, and access disparities between east and west Bend. The City has long been separated by U.S. 97 and the railroad, both of which run north-south. When the Bend Parkway was built in the 1990s, the disparity between the east and west sides of the community grew. West Bend has better walking, rolling, and cycling access to goods and services, while east Bend has fewer resources within walking distance. The Hawthorne Crossing will help connect east and west Bend, improving travel options and enhancing livability for those who live and work in the Bend Central District.
Benefits of the new east-west route:
- Connection: Provide a connection between downtown and many popular eastside destinations, as well as transit and mobility hubs.
- Safety: Provide a safer, more comfortable and more visible route for biking and walking than the current undercrossings of Franklin and Greenwood, which are limited by the railroad bridge.
- Mobility: Offer a wide path that allows for separation of people biking from people walking or using mobility devices, reducing potential conflicts.
- Access: Improve access to jobs, schools, services and other daily needs, especially for people in the area with limited incomes and people walking, using a mobility device, or riding a bike.
- Economic Development: The nearby industrial area is intended to transition to a mixed-use area where people can live, work, and play, supporting complete community goals to co-locate housing and employment alongside community services and amenities.
- Reduce congestion: Allow travelers a safe and comfortable alternative to driving to help alleviate congestion.
- Environmental sustainability: Invest in active travel options that can reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, improving air quality.
Location
U.S. 97
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Across U.S. 97 and BNSF railroad in Central Bend.
Cost and Funding
Total Project Cost: $32 million.
The City of Bend has received funding awards from the following state and federal sources:
The City of Bend is contributing $1 million.
Additional Information
Historical Review: As part of the project development process, ODOT cultural resources staff reviews the project's area of potential impact to identify and evaluate any historic properties that may exist. With this property identification, project impacts are assessed with the goal to minimize potential effects on those properties. While still in early phases, ODOT cultural resources staff is aware of multiple historic properties adjacent to the proposed location for the pedestrian bridge, such as the A.C. Lucas House (Bunk + Brew). If you have any information (historic photographs, pieces of history, etc.) to share regarding the historic properties along Hawthorne Avenue, on both the west and east side of U.S. 97, please contactODOT Architectural Historian, Larissa Rudnicki, at Larissa.Rudnicki@odot.oregon.gov.
Please visit the City Of Bend's Hawthorne Pedestrian & Bicycle Overcrossing page for previous planning information.