Alton Baker bike path closes Friday for tree safety work

Cyclists, walkers, runners and families who use Alton Baker Park lost access to a key stretch of Eugene’s river corridor Friday, when the bike path closed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. between Frohnmayer Bridge and Day Island Road for tree maintenance.

City crews planned to remove dead branches from 16 trees and cut down four trees after a certified arborist determined they were at risk of falling. The closure affected one of the city’s busiest recreation links, a route that connects the University of Oregon area to the riverfront and feeds into the Ruth Bascom Riverbank Path system.

Detour signs were posted to guide people around the work zone, and the safest reroute sent riders and pedestrians up Day Island Road to reach the Ruth Bascom Riverbank Path. For people moving through the park on foot or by bike, that meant a full-day change in the normal line through the corridor rather than a brief lane shift or partial opening.

The work landed in Alton Baker Park, Eugene’s largest developed park and one that the city says has served the community since 1959. The park includes West Alton Baker Park and the 237-acre Whilamut Natural Area, part of about 373 acres owned by the City of Eugene. The city describes the Whilamut Natural Area as a 237-acre riverfront open space that links Eugene to Springfield by way of riverside bike paths and open space.

That connection is why a closure here matters beyond one neighborhood trail. Pre’s Trail runs a little more than 4 miles through the natural area and ties to the University of Oregon via the Frohnmayer Bike Bridge, making the area a daily route for commuters and a destination for steady recreational traffic. In practical terms, Friday’s closure interrupted one of the city’s most heavily used off-street corridors.

The tree work also fit the city’s formal safety process. Eugene’s tree-removal materials say hazardous-tree decisions can be based on reports from ISA-certified arborists, and the parks and roadwork pages note that temporary pedestrian accessible routes are provided during closures. In this case, the city’s action was preventive: remove unstable wood now, before dead limbs or a failing tree could create a more dangerous problem later on the path.