City of Bend staff briefed the Bend MPO Policy Board on June 20 on the Riverfront Street design project, which aims to complete a missing segment of the Deschutes River Trail while repairing failing pavement and upgrading drainage.

Brett Hart, City of Bend project lead, said public outreach conducted before and during design produced two alternatives (one-way and two-way street options), and about 85% of respondents favored the one-way option. The one-way design reduces project footprint, preserves existing landscaping and makes room for a shared multiuse path; staff are aiming for a 10-foot-wide shared-use path (the minimum Parks requested was eight feet).

Hart said the city and Bend Parks & Recreation signed a 50/50 intergovernmental agreement in 2023 to split design costs and that the design consultant contract (HHPR / Harper Huff) is for roughly $653,000, with Parks/Rec and the city sharing costs. The city used a grant to fund its portion and added about $20,000 from the street preservation fund as match.

The project is nearing 30% design; the consultant's 30% submittal was imminent at the time of the meeting. Hart said design progress is encouraging: the one-way configuration appears to allow a continuous 10-foot shared path and preserve much of the existing street's landscaping and character. The board heard that the project is currently in the design phase with a planned iterative submittal schedule (30/60/90/100%). Construction funding has not yet been identified; staff said being further along in design improves grant competitiveness.

Hart said the primary technical challenge is stormwater treatment. Because Riverfront Street runs immediately adjacent to the Deschutes River, groundwater is high and there is little vertical drop from street catch basins to the river outfalls. Standard infiltration techniques are not feasible in many areas. Staff and the consultant are evaluating mechanical treatment systems (e.g., proprietary cartridge/contact filters) and off-site mitigation (treating equivalent runoff at another location) as options. Hart noted concerns about river-level fluctuations sending surges back into stormwater facilities and said the consultant has scheduled meetings with manufacturers to evaluate feasible solutions.

When asked about construction cost magnitude, Hart cautioned that design is incomplete but said he expected construction in the "single-digit millions" range and hoped it would be $5 million or less; he warned this figure is preliminary and sensitive to the stormwater solution chosen.

Board members asked whether quick-build or phased elements (traffic pattern change, raised crossings, temporary planter-based traffic calming) could be done ahead of full construction. Hart said quick-build traffic calming or temporary one-way changes are feasible as separate efforts but would require separate scope and funding; the formal design and construction remain a larger, integrated project because utility and pavement work can trigger adjacent repairs.

No formal action was taken; the item was an informational update. Staff said they will continue design, refine stormwater approaches, complete the 30% design submittal and pursue grant funding nearer to 90% design.