Autzen Footbridge Reopens Temporarily April 25 Spring Game Ready

The Autzen Canoe Canal Footbridge reopens to walkers and cyclists Monday, March 30, not because construction is finished, but because it isn't. Crews working on structural upgrades discovered a girder requiring full replacement to ensure the bridge's long-term integrity, and the eight to 10 weeks needed to manufacture and ship that part created a window City of Eugene officials chose to use rather than leave one of Eugene's most-traveled park crossings dark through April and May.

Marion Suitor Barnes with Eugene Public Works said the calculus was straightforward: "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."

That two-month window covers Oregon Football's Spring Game on April 25 at Autzen Stadium, an annual event free to the public that draws thousands of fans across the footbridge from Alton Baker Park. The bridge has been closed since February as part of the University of Oregon's athletics practice facility upgrades, a broader construction push that includes a 170,000-square-foot indoor football practice facility rising adjacent to the site.

Users crossing Monday will notice a surface change from the old plank decking. Suitor Barnes described the improvement: "Although it won't be planks like it was before, it'll be more of a solid surface. So that'll be a little more friendly to pedestrians and anyone on wheels." City officials have not publicly detailed the specific condition of the girder beyond confirming it must be replaced for structural integrity; construction updates are posted weekly at eugene-or.gov/traffic.

Once the replacement girder arrives, the footbridge will close again for an additional three to four weeks while crews complete the structural work. The bridge is expected to fully reopen by summer 2026. What triggers that second closure is the girder's arrival, with no discretionary buffer built in.

The nearby Lot 8 gravel parking area runs on a separate schedule and remains closed through August 2026 for expansion and repaving, unaffected by the footbridge timeline. Dog park users who relied on Lot 8 have two alternatives: the parking lot at Alton Baker Park off Club Road, or the city parking lot near the Eugene Science Center, with access to the dog park via the footbridge near the Cuthbert Amphitheater. The Alton Baker dog park itself stays open throughout construction.