BEND, OR -- Bend officials are moving forward with plans to convert sections of Boyd Acres and Butler Market roads to “Key Routes.” Principal Engineer George Franklet tells KBND News, "Key Routes is a term that the city uses to describe routes that are designed to be low stress for pedestrians and bicyclists." He says they "Provide safe and comfortable connections to school, parks, points of employment, other destinations that pedestrians and cyclists can use."

The project will start with the section of Boyd Acres, between Butler Market and Empire  and Butler Market, between Boyd Acres and Brinson. "There’s missing sections of sidewalk, where pedestrians have to - to stay out of the roadway, have to walk on dirt. So, improving pedestrian facilities so they’re continuous throughout the portion of the corridor that we’re focusing on for the project. And then, of course, the other piece of that for the mobility is accommodating bikes into the corridor. And that can look different, depending on the space that we have available." It also depends on what users want to see. An online open house and public survey are available through next Monday (May 22, 2023), to get feedback from the public. 

Because the specific design is not yet finalized, the cost and timing of the work are also up in the air. "It’s difficult to do an entire Key Route at once because it goes through a lot of parts of town, so we build them in portions; as large of portions as we can," says Franklet. He expects construction to get underway in about a year, paid for through the city’s GO bond.

Wilson Avenue is also considered a "Key Route," with work already underway in that corridor.