Artist depictions of potential vehicular bridge alignments between Powers and Murphy Road

(emphasis added in bold)

Oregon Wild Website, as of 4/1/26

“The good news is that after a multi-year public process the city of Bend has a new Transportation System Plan (map) that includes a compromise bridge location. Finalized in 2020, the city plan will study a potential new bridge (potentially including vehicles) in a downstream location that is outside of the Wild & Scenic River and State Scenic Waterway designations and in a less critical wildlife zone. Oregon Wild supports this study moving forward.”

Bend Bulletin Interview, 11/6/2025

"[The] wilderness program director for Oregon Wild says the location of the potential bridge doesn't raise any 'big red flags' from an environmental standpoint, beyond the footprint of the bridge. [. . .] 'The zone the city is going to look at is outside of the protected stretch of the Deschutes State Scenic Waterway, which reduces the environmental impacts substantially.' "

Public comment at BPRD board meeting, 7/16/24

"We encourage you to explore other downstream compromise options rather than the location that’s been discussed thus far."

Bend Metropolitan Planning Organization, public comment, 3/17/2024

"Credit to the city – a part of the transportation system plan looks at studying a downstream location to put a bridge in, that would be outside the state scenic waterway, outside the wild and scenic river, outside all of those wildlife area concerns, so that would be much more interesting."

Letter to Deschutes County regarding TSP, 11/30/23

“My comments pertain to just one specific issue, the southern crossing footbridge. I encourage you not to include this divisive and controversial issue in the TSP directly or indirectly. [. . . ]

"The good news is that the city of Bend, in their TSP, is considering a bridge in a downstream location that resolves the concerns with the old proposed option."

Oregon Wild Letter to BPRD, 10/4/22

“There were two key results from all of the lengthy and thorough public process that recently happened regarding the bridge, a city study of a compromise location and a resolution by the BPRD board. A timeline is available here that outlines the previous public processes.

“The recent city Transportation System Plan proposes to study a compromise location for a bridge. We support this study moving forward. This study location is outside of the State Scenic Waterway and the Wild and Scenic River designations and thus would not require weakening of river protections.

“We encourage you to work with the city of Bend to further study the compromise downstream location outside of the State Scenic Waterway.”

Bend Bulletin, 10/7/2022

“Erik Fernandez, wilderness program manager for the non-profit Oregon Wild, said his organization continues to oppose the construction of the bridge.

“ ‘Our position remains the same that it has been. The city Transportation System Plan is set to study a compromise bridge location and we support that process moving forward,’ he said.

Bend Bulletin, 10/27/2021

“Erik Fernandez, wilderness program manager of the environmental nonprofit Oregon Wild, said the debate over the footbridge led to a ‘compromise location’ for a future bridge in southern Bend. That location is near Powers Road, about a mile south of the Bill Healy Bridge.

“‘The community had an exhaustive public process and debate on the issue between 2015 and 2020, resulting in a new compromise bridge location,” said Fernandez. “Not everyone got what they wanted, but a compromise option was identified, and a plan set in motion to study it.” ”