(Replace: Including video and feedback from the open home)
Protected bike lane, safer strolling draw favor — however ‘quite a bit depends upon the execution’
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The town of Bend hosted a well-attended open home Wednesday night to current and reply questions on designs for the upcoming 15th Street and Wilson Avenue roundabout.
Additionally on show had been preliminary design plans for hall enhancements between Ninth and Fifteenth streets.
The Wilson Avenue Hall Challenge is the primary to proceed below the transportation basic obligation bond accepted by voters in 2020.
The design consultants, building group and metropolis employees had been readily available the to point out the plans and reply questions.
The mission is predicted to start early this summer season and to be accomplished by the top of 2023.
Bend resident Ariel Mendez stated he feels the roundabout is a good concept, however believes it is all within the execution.
“I feel that this new roundabout has loads of potential,” he stated. “I really like what the town is making an attempt to do right here — to supply safety, particularly for folks strolling and biking. It is a new factor we’ve not seen earlier than in Bend.
“However the satan’s within the particulars,” Mendez added. ” I really like what they’re making an attempt to do. However whether or not if they will really be capable of ship and expertise that’s protected, related, feels protected. Rather a lot depends upon the execution.”
Many individuals who stay close to of drive Wilson Avenue say it has been a very long time coming, and metropolis leaders agreed.
“I’ve lived in Bend for greater than 30 years and on the east facet of Bend for nearly 15,” Metropolis Councilor Barb Campbell stated. “All of us that spend most of our time east of Freeway 97 have recognized about Wilson Boulevard and the way congested it has been for years.”
The world has been unsafe for a few years, many readily available stated, and the choice for this roundabout all got here all the way down to security.
Mayor Sally Russell stated, “That is a troublesome intersection for the folks on the east facet of Bend to get by safely at sure occasions of the day.”
Bend is all about attending to discover the good outdoor, residents say, and with a protected bike lane, it may deliver extra folks exterior.
Bend Bike board member Kaitlin Greene stated, “We noticed loads of nice issues, together with the protected bike lane. “That is going to be Bend’s first. We’re super-excited about (it). We actually suppose folks will bike extra once they’re feeling protected.”
Bend residents will not be unfamiliar with the ideas of roundabouts, and neither are residents in Carmel, Indiana. As a reference, Carmel will not be a lot larger than Bend with a inhabitants of 106,843. However, Carmel has greater than 138 roundabouts, greater than any metropolis within the U.S.
