Franklin Avenue Improvements

Welcome to the Franklin Avenue online open house, open through September 5.

On the following pages, you can:

• Learn about the Franklin Avenue improvements.
• Let us know your safety improvement preferences.
• Share your ideas or safety concerns with project team.

Hill Street intersection looking east

Click the image to enlarge in a new tab.

This project will:

• Improve the street and sidewalk on both the east and west sides of the undercrossing.
• Improve Franklin’s connection to NW Harriman Street, NE First Street, NE Second Street, NE Fourth Street, which are all part of the city’s low-stress network for biking and walking.
• Create continuity with the new Bend Bikeway on Franklin from Fifth Street to Eighth Street.
• Replace aging waterlines to get our water system up to current standards, and improve water drainage to reduce flooding.

This project is choosing from three versions of how to:

• Use the street space alongside motor-vehicle lanes.
• Improve the pedestrian routes.

All three options feature:

• Raised/Grade separated sidewalks and bike lanes.
• Due to limitations of the undercrossing, bikes going through the tunnel will have to merge with vehicles on the downhill side (entering the tunnel) and have a bike lane on the uphill slope (exiting the tunnel) or can continue using the tunnel walkways as before. A new retaining wall will potentially be built to allow this widening just outside of the tunnel pending approval from the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO).
• Roadway: A three-lane roadway with one eastbound, one westbound, and a two-way left turn lane.
• From the underpass to Harriman will not have the center turn lane, as it is today.
• Intersection updates: Changes at each of the Midtown Franklin Avenue intersections will need to be made in order to better integrate the low stress bike network. These improvements are still to be determined.
• Parking removal: A few parking spaces will be removed between Harriman and Hill Street as well as between Third and Fourth Street to meet sight-distance requirements at intersections.

All options will include:

• Lighting and upgraded fencing in the undercrossing.
• Stormwater management for improved drainage.
• Landscaping.
• Upgraded signs. 

Features

This option extends the current Bend Bikeway street design on Franklin east of Fifth Street through our project area where they connect.
Features raised bike lanes with a grade separated sidewalk. Landscaping is kept behind the sidewalk at the property line (on private property).
This option has the least bike/ped separation from vehicle travel but is the most common treatment and easily recognizable by drivers. The stress rating is slightly higher on this option, but drivers will have more awareness of the presence of bikes.

View the full design for Option 1 (PDF, 10.3MB)

Additional Considerations

• Curb ramps and driveways will be challenging to construct with this configuration.
• Water drainage also becomes more complicated.

Vegetation and Landscaping

Up to 10-foot landscaping strips would be available between the sidewalk and the property line. However, these would be privately planted and maintained, so would have a different look along the street. The City will replant areas that are disturbed by construction.

Features

This option moves the landscaping to the inner edge of the bike lane (next to the vehicle lane), and includes a second landscaping feature between the sidewalk and bike lane. Both would still be raised above street level, but at the same grade.

View the full design for Option 2 (PDF, 1.9MB)

Additional Considerations

• More difficult/costly maintenance with two planting zones.
• This option offers easier integration of the grade separations.

Vegetation and Landscaping

Would allow tree planting in sidewalk zone. Roadside planting area would have limited vegetation options, most likely it will consist of drought tolerant plants and rock style landscaping.

Features

This option features a wider landscaping element on the vehicle side of the bike lane through most of the project area. The bike lane and sidewalk would have a 1-foot buffer with either a rolled curb, texture strip, or a vertical curb.

Additional Considerations

The wider distance between drivers and bikers means drivers may have less awareness of the presence of bikes. Since this is a less common road configuration in Bend, drivers may not expect to see or be looking for a bike, when coming to a driveway or turn.

View the full design for Option 3 (PDF, 9.9MB)

Vegetation and Landscaping

Trees and other high maintenance plants will likely not be allowed in the roadside planting area. Most likely it will consist of drought tolerant plants and rock style landscaping maintained by the City.

To make it more user friendly and safer for people walking and biking we will make the following improvements:

• Add new retaining walls outside the tunnel. (shown in red on the diagram) 
• Retaining wall on the north and south sides, east of the tunnel. 
• Retaining wall on the north side, west of the tunnel.  
• Add buffered bike lanes in the new space created by the retaining walls (the climbing lanes). (shown in teal on the diagram) 
• These changes still need ODOT and BNSF approval. 
• Install a new handrail on the sidewalk trail (pending decision).
• This design will need approval from the State Historic Preservation Office as this undercrossing is a historic resource.
• Remove the Parkway access ramp onto the Franklin pathway (pending decision).
• ODOT has initially approved this closure, pending final approval and plan documents.
• This change will improve sightlines for people walking or riding on the sidewalk.
• Improve lighting.
• Stormwater drainage improvements.

Intersection improvements still need to be planned along this section of Franklin Avenue. Franklin is part of the low stress (bike) network, and so are these cross streets:

• Harriman Street  
• First Street  
• Second Street  
• Fourth Street  

These intersections need to be safe and accessible for biking, while allowing vehicle access into the neighborhood going both north and south.

Adding a “modal filter” at an intersection, which allows through bike traffic while limiting vehicle turns, is a great way to increase safety for bicycles at an intersection. We can’t do this on multiple intersections next to each other or vehicles won’t be able to access the area.

The modal filter shown here allows cyclists to travel through to the low stress street, while vehicles take an alternate route.

Hill and Harriman streets

Harriman Street is part of Bend’s low-stress network.

This intersection would be ideal for a modal filter. Hill Street intersection is currently limited to right turns only and willneed additional access management evaluation to accommodate limiting turns at Harriman. However, there are sight distance concerns at Hill.

First and Second Streets

Second Street is part of the low stress network but so is First Street. First Street and Second Street need to be compatible for access to the areas north and south of Franklin for all modes of traffic. However, First Street, when the former Les Schwab site on the south is redeveloped has a development agreement in place that requires restricted turning movements.

Third Street

Third Street is a very busy intersection where we would like to increase protection for people on bikes. There are sight constraints on the SE corner of this intersection that need to be considered.

Franklin Avenue looking west from Second Street toward First Street and the Parkway overpass.

Fourth Street

The Fourth Street intersection needs to maintain access as a major delivery route and bus route. It is also part of the low stress network.

Between Fourth and Fifth streets is where Franklin transitions from residential to commercial and the Central District zone. This means more driveways and other access points with increased traffic volumes.

Fifth Street

The Fifth Street intersection needs to transition smoothly with the Bend Bikeway configuration to the East for a continuous bike connection.

The Bend Bikeway project is making improvements to enhance the safety and enjoyment of walking and biking with the addition of signs, protected pathways, and other ways to make traffic safer and slower. The routes will be designed to make it easier to ride near busy roads and encourage different ways to travel.

We are working closely with the Bend Bikeway team to ensure cohesion in the design between these two sections of Franklin Ave. Construction will be coordinated to limit impacts.

Franklin Avenue looking east from First Street, shows Second and Third Street intersections.