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Juniper Elementary accessible path: two alignment options, $1M estimate and funding hurdles
Summary
Bend‑La Pine Schools and City of Bend staff described two alignment options for an accessible path adjacent to Juniper Elementary and warned that federal funding rules and delivery choices could push a design estimate near $1 million.
Bend‑La Pine Schools and City of Bend staff discussed design alternatives and funding obstacles for a proposed accessible path next to Juniper Elementary, a Safe Routes to School project the MPO has helped fund.
The project — described in the meeting as the Juniper Path — would connect Northeast Twelfth Street near the base of Pilot Butte through school property to a pedestrian/bus area on NE F Street. ODOT produced an initial alignment (alternate 1); after a site visit, staff asked ODOT to develop an alternate alignment (alternate 2) that moves the path away from the school bus loop to reduce potential conflicts and to maximize relatively flat, buildable space. Staff said alternate 2 has a slightly steeper grade and may increase construction cost but offers operational advantages around bus movements.
A design‑level cost estimate discussed in the meeting was about $1 million; presenters said that figure may be reducible by 50–75 percent depending on delivery approach. Staff cautioned that project delivery costs can rise when federal funds and ODOT delivery procedures apply. In this case, because parts of the project are off public right of way, it was not eligible for an ODOT exchange of federal STBG dollars to state funds; that limitation required federal procurement and contract processes that staff said inflate costs. Staff added that the MPO is now receiving direct state funding for some future projects, which would be easier to spend than federal dollars.
Meeting participants raised community concerns recorded during the city open house about sight lines and crossing safety where the path meets NE F Street. Bend‑La Pine Schools staff said those sight‑line and crossing issues would be considered as part of a larger corridor conversation on NE F, and the city engineering team will need to evaluate crossings and lines of sight as the design advances.
Presenters said the path has design funding to complete preliminary work but is frozen pending additional construction funding. The city also is conducting broader NE F corridor outreach that staff said will be coordinated with the path design; the Juniper Path remains eligible for either alternate alignment pending funding and further design.
