• Franklin Avenue Improvements

    Franklin Avenue Improvements

    Online Open House #2

  • Welcome!

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  • This online open house is now closed. The content is still available for viewing, but we are no longer accepting submissions.
    Thank you for your participation!

  • Welcome to the second open house for the Franklin Avenue project.

    In August, we heard your priorities for a safer, more comfortable Franklin Avenue. Based on that input, and considerations of maintenance, safety, emergency services and other factors, the project team is moving forward with the “More Separation” design. We now also have more details about the intersection treatments to go along with this design.

    Today, you can:

    • Get an update on the other Midtown Crossings Projects.
    • Learn about the selected design for Franklin Avenue improvements from Harriman to NE Fifth Street.
    • See renderings of what this will look like on the street.
    • See details on the new intersection treatments along Franklin Avenue.
    • Let us know if there’s anything else we missed!

  • Aerial photograph of Hill Street intersection looking east

    Hill Street intersection looking east

  • To record your responses, be sure to click or tap the “Submit” button at the end.

  • Midtown Crossings Project

  • Franklin Avenue is part of the Midtown Crossings Project — along with improvements on Greenwood Avenue, Hawthorne Avenue and Second Street.

  • City Goals and Priorities

    Improving the transportation system by focusing on safety is a City Council goal. Creating safer connections between neighborhoods, places of work, schools, parks and businesses for people who ride bikes, walk or roll is a City priority. The City is designing a variety of safer and more accessible bike and pedestrian routes throughout the community, including the Midtown Crossings Project which will connect the Central District to Downtown Bend.

    Funding

    The Midtown Crossings Project is funded by the Transportation GO Bond approved by voters in 2020. It also gets funding through:

    • The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)
    • The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) All Roads Transportation Safety (ARTS) Program
    • The Core Area Tax Increment Finance Construction Fund
    • 2021-2026 Capital Improvement Program funds

  • Project area map showing the future improvements of Franklin Avenue, Greenwood Avenue, Hawthorne Avenue, and Second Street

    Click the image to enlarge in a new tab.

  • Greenwood Avenue Corridor and Undercrossing Improvements

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    Construction of the quick-build is now complete. Let us know how the new Greenwood is working for you!

    The pilot project changes are designed to improve safety for everyone traveling on Greenwood with better crossings, new bike lanes, and reconfigured travel lanes. Next summer the team will review traffic and other data, along with public feedback to determine if any changes are needed, before finalizing the permanent street design.

  • Hawthorne Overcrossing 

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    City Council selected the Single Tower Cable-Stay option for the future bridge type. Councilors also discussed the parkway exit at Hawthorne Avenue and decided to close the exit because of safety concerns, in collaboration with ODOT. ODOT will manage the design and construction of the project due to federal funding requirements. Design work will continue through 2025-2026, and construction is expected in 2026-2027.

  • Second Street Streetscaping

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    Construction on Second Street is now underway. The new waterline was installed, and the old pipes are being removed.

    The team continues removing the old pavement and building out the new streetscape, to include:

    • Wider sidewalks and curb extensions for a pedestrian oriented district.

    • Added parking on both sides to support future buildings that will not require onsite parking.

    Construction is expected to be completed in summer 2025.

  • Project Timeline

  • Project timeline graphic demonstrating that there will be a public meeting in April, June, July, and September in 2024. The Greenwood corridor and undercrossing design and construction will extend from February to August 2024 with an evaluation period through August 2025. The second street improvements design through construction will last from January 2024 to April 2025. The Hawthorne overcrossing concept development will have a preferred option selected by August 2024. The Franklin Corridor and undercrossing alternative analysis will go from February to September 2024 with a design period starting in October 2024 and lasting until March 2025.

    Click the image to enlarge in a new tab.

  • Franklin Avenue Background 

  • Goals and Benefits

    This project will make walking, biking, and rolling safer on Franklin Avenue from Harriman Street to Fifth Street.

    Franklin Avenue is a popular route for walking and biking but can be congested near the undercrossing. People driving, biking, and walking or rolling often have little separation from each other.

  • This project will:

    • Improve the street and sidewalk on both the east and west sides of the undercrossing, to better use the space and make travel more comfortable. (No changes will be made to the overcrossing bridge itself.)
    • Improve the pedestrian routes.
    • Improve Franklin’s connection to NW Harriman Street, NE First Street, NE Second Street, and 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 NE Fifth Street to Eighth Street and at Harriman Street.
    • Improve stormwater drainage to reduce flooding.
    • Potentially replace aging waterlines and bring them up to current standards.

  • Aerial photo of Franklin Ave

  • The changes will make Franklin Avenue safer and less stressful for everyone — no matter how users get around.

  • Timeline

    After this open house’s public review of the selected design, the team will continue refining the details for a final design for the Franklin Avenue improvements. Construction is estimated to begin in 2025 with consideration of other construction happening on important east-west travel routes including Olney Avenue and Bear Creek Road.

  • Illustration of timeline demonstrating that July 10, 2024 there will be a community meeting to review the bridge type options and provide feedback. Late summer 2024 the preferred bridge type will be selected. 2025-2026 will be the design phase and 2026-2027 will be the construction phase.

  • Franklin Avenue Improvements

  • The previous “Option 2: More Separation” design was chosen for the new Franklin Avenue improvements between Harriman Street to NE Fifth Street. This option was preferred by the public for the opportunities it offered for landscaping and increased separation between modes of travel.

    The key feature of this design is that it provides landscaping between the bike lane and vehicle lane, and a second landscaping strip between the sidewalk and bike lane.

  • Note: Franklin Ave from Fifth to Eighth Street will also be improved through another project “Bend Bikeway.” Visit bendoregon.gov/bendbikeway to learn more about this project.

  • The new Franklin Avenue cross-section will include

    • Sidewalks: 8 feet (6’ from Third to Fifth Street)
    • Sidewalk-Bike buffer: Varies, 5-8 feet of planter strip (on some portions), 1-foot buffer in others
    • Raised bike lane: Mostly 6 feet (Share with vehicle lane going into the tunnel)
    • Bike-Vehicle buffer: 4 feet of planter strip plus 2’ buffer in most areas
    • Vehicle lanes: 11 feet (one travel lane in each direction and a turn lane in some sections)  
    • Vegetation/landscaping: City owned and maintained landscaping with trees will be located in the area between the sidewalk and bike lane. The roadside landscaping area will have limited vegetation options, most likely drought tolerant native plants and rock style landscaping.
    • Right-of-way: The City will need to acquire about 5 feet on each side of the road for this layout. 

    The image is a cross-sectional illustration of a roadway design, showing various lanes and paths for different modes of transportation. It features two travel lanes with a central two-way turn lane, flanked by bike paths and sidewalks on either side, separated by landscape buffers. The design includes measurements indicating the width of each section, emphasizing a multi-modal approach to accommodate vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians.

    Click the image to enlarge in a new tab.

  • Additional design features

    • Undercrossing access, lighting, and fencing improvements.  
    • Improved lighting at crosswalks. 
    • Stormwater management for improved drainage.
    • Upgraded traffic signs.
    • Parking removal: Parking spaces (about 8) will be removed between Harriman Street and Hill Street as well as between Third Street and Fourth Street (about 15) to meet sight-distance requirements at intersections.
    • Waterline replacement may occur contingent on available funding.

  • View the full roll plot design (PDF, 8.9MB)

  • Undercrossing Improvements

  • The undercrossing presents a challenging space for people to travel, and also for making changes. The Parkway bridge is owned by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the railroad bridge is owned by Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF). Due to the complexities of the undercrossing and associated costs with replacing a bridge, we cannot change the width of the undercrossing tunnel at this time.

    The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) has concurred with our report which recommends eligibility for the Historic Register and recommends us putting forward a Finding of Effect (FOE) for any changes that are proposed to be made to the undercrossing. This means that designs as shown previously will still need to be reviewed by the SHPO to ensure changes are consistent with historic character-defining features.

    Roll plot illustration for the undercrossing improvement

    Click the image to enlarge in a new tab.

  • 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). 

    To make it more user friendly and safer for people walking and biking, we will propose the following improvements (any and all improvements are subject to ODOT, BNSF, Bend Landmarks Commission and SHPO review):

    • Add retaining walls outside the tunnel to allow for widening, on the uphill slopes (exiting the tunnel). Shown in red.
      • Retaining wall on the east side of tunnel for the eastbound lane.
      • Retaining wall on the west side of tunnel for the westbound lane.
    • Add buffered bike lanes in the new space created by the retaining walls (the climbing lanes). Shown in teal.
      • Bikes can also continue using the tunnel sidewalk as before.
    • Close the bike access ramp to the parkway with a concrete closure wall. The ramp area itself will also be filled in.
      • For now, ODOT has installed a chain link fence to prevent access to this area, but this project will include the permanent closure.
      • This change will improve sightlines for people walking or riding on the sidewalk.

  • Following the historic style of the undercrossing, we can also move forward with:

    • Selecting a new handrail for the sidewalk trail.
      • This design will need determination from the State Historic Preservation Office as this undercrossing is a historic resource.
    • Determining appropriate lighting to improve visibility and nighttime access.
    • Stormwater drainage improvements.

  • Photograph of the Franklin Avenue Undercrossing, 1936

  • Franklin Avenue Intersections from Harriman to NE Fifth 

  • Changes at each of the Midtown Franklin Avenue intersections will need to be made to better integrate the low stress bike network. 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 following details what changes will be made to each intersection.

  • Harriman Street

    Harriman Street intersection with receive a full modal filter, meaning vehicles will not be able to make any left turns or cross Franklin Avenue on Harriman. Bikes will have a cut-through in the median to be able to cross on the low stress network. The added medians also make it safer for people walking across Franklin Avenue.

    This is where Franklin Avenue ties back in with the Bend Bikeway. Additional changes are coming to this intersection through the Bend Bikeway project.

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    Hill Street

    Hill Street will get a partial modal filter, to allow bike traffic but limit vehicle traffic. The southside of Hill will be limited to right turns only, while the northside allows left and right turns (removing the current median). Vehicle traffic will not be able to travel across Franklin Avenue on Hill Street.

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  • First Street

    At First Street there will be an eastbound left turn lane, but westbound left turns will be restricted with a median. The southside of First Street will be limited to right turns only by vehicles. Bikes will have full access at this intersection.

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    Second Street

    Second Street will receive a full modal filter, meaning vehicles will not be able to make any left turns or cross Franklin Avenue on Second Street. Bikes will have a cut-through in the median to be able to cross on the low stress network. The added medians also make it safer for people walking across Franklin Avenue.

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  • Fourth Street

    Fourth Street will have a left turn lane eastbound, but westbound left turns will be prevented with a median.

    No changes are currently planned for the Safeway driveway near this intersection. We heard from many participants that this can cause conflicts for people, and the city will continue working with Safeway to improve this location.

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    Fifth Street

    This is where the Midtown Crossings Project will tie-in to the Bend Bikeways project for a continuous bike connection to the east. At Fifth Street our design will bring the sidewalk and bike lanes closer together. All landscaping moves adjacent to private property.

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  • The Bend Bikeway project is making improvements to enhance the safety and enjoyment of walking and biking with the addition of signs and other ways to make traffic safer and slower.

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

  • Third Street Intersection

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

    We heard from the community that right-hooks at this intersection are a big concern.

    Here are three options the City is considering at the Third Street intersection. These new designs prioritize safety by separating bike and vehicle traffic. Your input will help us determine the best way to:

    • Allow vehicles to turn safely while not severely impacting wait times at the intersection.
    • Ensure people biking can cross the intersection with less risk.

  • Option 1 – Combined Crossings

    • No designated right turn lane. Through traffic and right turning vehicles will share a lane, both east and west bound.
    • The bike lanes will merge with the sidewalk to cross Third Street, in a shared crosswalk.
    • Will install a push button signal for bikes and pedestrians.

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  • Option 2 – Separated Crossings

    • No designated right turn lane. Through traffic and right turning vehicles will share a lane, both east and west bound.
    • The bike lane (green paint) and pedestrian crossing (white paint) will maintain separate paths through the Third Street crossing.
    • Will install a push button signal for bikes and pedestrians.

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  • Option 3 – Keep right turn lane

    • Right turn lane for vehicles traveling both east and west.
      • Reduced buffers to accommodate this extra lane.
    • The bike lane heading east will have a dura-curb (similar to Greenwood Avenue) buffer between vehicles and bikes.
    • The bike lane heading west between Third and Fourth will merge with the sidewalk to form a shared use path.

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  • View the full roll plot design (PDF, 8.9MB)

  • To record your responses, be sure to click or tap the “Submit” button at the end.

  • Questions

  • Thank you for participating in the Franklin Avenue Improvements Online Open House.

    Your feedback will help us confirm that we are moving in the right direction for this work. 

    Sign up for project emails to stay in touch and learn more as we move forward.

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