ODOT and City of Bend hold open house to answer questions about the Hawthorne Crossing
Spencer Sacks
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — ODOT and the City of Bend continued their tour, informing the public about the upcoming Hawthorne Bridge project.
Earlier Tuesday evening, they held an open house with officials from ODOT and the City there to answer the public’s questions.
As a reminder, the long-awaited pedestrian bridge at the Midtown Crossing will make it easier for pedestrians and cyclists to cross Highway 97. Events like these allow you to be part of the process.
Ryan Oster, the director of the Engineering Department, spoke with KTVZ.
Oster told KTVZ, “We do want the public to be informed and aware of all the decisions that are being made and be a part of that process. We’ve got multiple different design considerations for how the bridge is going to land and how it’s going to interact with the surrounding community. We’d love to hear from people who are going to be using this and who live nearby, to get a good feel for what would work well in the environment.”
The design that’s been chosen is called a “broken top truss” bridge, inspired by the Cascade Mountain Range.
The more than $30 million project passed the City Council. Work on the project is expected to start next year, with the goal of finishing it by 2027.
The $30 million project is being funded mostly by grants from the federal government and the state of Oregon.
Only $1 million—just a fraction of the bridge’s cost—is being funded by taxpayers through a city bond.
If you missed tonight’s open house, the plans are available on the City’s website.