The City of Eugene is temporarily reopening the Autzen Canoe Canal Footbridge on Monday, March 30 in advance of the Spring Game and other University of Oregon events.
The bridge has been closed since February for improvements as part of a larger project upgrading the UO’s athletic practice facilities.
Marion Suitor Barnes with Eugene Public Works told KLCC crews found they needed to replace a girder in the footbridge.
That’s expected to take eight to 10 weeks to arrive. She said they originally planned to fully reopen the bridge by the end of this month.
“Of course, you know, with the eight-to-10 week delay in getting the girder, we could have just kept it closed all that time as well,” she said. “But because, obviously, Spring Game is very important and we know that Alton Baker is one of our most used parks, it just makes sense to go ahead and open it up to foot traffic for that two-month period.”
Suitor Barnes said the bridge is safe for foot and bicycle traffic. It will close again to finish construction for three to four weeks once the girder arrives.
The footbridge is expected to fully reopen in time for summer.
Suitor Barnes said the improvement work will still preserve the bridge’s wooden surface.
“Although it won’t be planks like it was before, it’ll be more of a solid surface,” she said. “So that’ll be a little more friendly to pedestrians and anyone on wheels.”
She said the closure has meant a detour for users of the nearby dog park.
Oregon Football’s Spring Game is on April 25 at Autzen Stadium. It’s an annual event that’s free to the public.
