BEND, OR -- Bend city officials are working to improve several neighborhood streets over the next several years. Project Manager Rory Rowan says they’ll start on the first two, this fall, "One is on the east side, on NE 6th Street, and that runs from Greenwood to Butler Market. And, the other one is on the west side on NW 15th Street. The section we’re focused on is from Simpson to Galveston."
The two routes will become “neighborhood greenways,” which he says create safe and comfortable walking and biking conditions, "Not everybody is going to be comfortable being out on a faster or busier road when, perhaps, the only facility available is a 5’ bike lane." The work is part of a larger funding package, "As the Council was making decisions on some of the bigger investments that have got a lot of attention, they set aside $900,000 for this project over four years. And, the idea is to try and make that money stretch with some initial improvements on those routes."
In that effort to spread the money as far as possible, Rowan says they're looking at areas with a lot of public interest and support, and that are most feasible, from an engineering standpoint, "We’re working on a small portion right now, and looking at some – I keep calling it ‘low hanging fruit’ – but, things like signs, pavement markings, traffic calming that’s not too difficult to construct, which is like speed bumps; seeing what the neighborhood is interested in, and seeing if we can at least start on those two segments with construction of that by the end of this year."
