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Deschutes Riv. Bridge Advances Out Of Committee

SALEM, OR -- The full Oregon Senate will vote on whether to allow construction of a pedestrian bridge over the Deschutes River in Bend. A Senate Committee voted three-to-two to advance the bill with an amendment proposed earlier this week by the Bend Parks and Recreation District. 

 

Senator Michael Dembrow (D-Portland) chairs the committee and supported the move. "This is a complicated issue that will be with the citizens of Bend, I think, for a while. But, the -4 amendments seem to have the benefit of dealing with the Urban Growth Boundary part, decisively, and open the door for the other." The amendment would only allow a bridge to be built on a narrow piece of US Forest Service land, and would require an environmental impact study before construction could be approved. 

 

A number of area homeowners oppose any bridge over the river, and didn't want any exceptions that could allow it. Senator Alan Olson (R-Canby) voted against the bill. He says, "The process has taken a long, long time, and it's come to us to be the arbiters. I sincerely believe that since Bend went through the process with [State] Parks and Parks said 'no,' that bothers me tremendously."  But Sen. Floyd Prozanski (D-Eugene) says this isn't the end of the process. "We're not giving them a pass on anything. They actually have to go through the same process and procedure. But, it does, in fact, give everybody on either side of this the perspective of where this bridge would be and will be, if it is successfully sited."

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