QuickTake:

The Autzen Canoe Canal Footbridge will close from Feb. 16 through the end of March, prompting detours for pedestrians, cyclists and dog park users in Alton Baker Park. The city of Eugene will post detour signage throughout the park. Here’s a guide to route and parking options during the project.

The city of Eugene and the University of Oregon will close and rebuild the Autzen Canoe Canal Footbridge from Feb. 16 through the end of March.

The wooden bridge, about 93 feet long and 17 feet wide, carries heavy pedestrian, bike and kayak traffic and regularly becomes a bottleneck during football season, when game-day crowds can face waits of up to 20 minutes. The bridge is also frequently used by people going to the adjacent dog park.

Planned upgrades — part of the UO’s expansion of the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex practice field — include a new wooden deck and railings and a slight increase in width. During construction, users who normally use the footbridge to access the park will need to follow alternate routes, outlined in the map and detailed below.

Detour signs are also in place throughout the park during the closure.

By Ashli Blow / Lookout Eugene-Springfield • Source: University of Oregon / City of Eugene

Parking lots 

The parking lot near the Canoe Canal, closest to the dog park, will be closed. Two parking lots will remain open:

  • Drivers can park in the city lot at the Eugene Science Center and cross the canal using the bridge near the Cuthbert Amphitheater.
  • Drivers can park at the Alton Baker Park trailhead lot off Club Road and access the dog park via park paths.

Routes

ADA-accessible and paved routes

Dog park users seeking a paved route can also start from the Alton Baker Park trailhead off Club Road and follow the signed paved path shown in green on the interactive map. The route is about 1 mile each way.

The city of Eugene also has signs posted for people to cross the canoe canal via Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Foot and trail access

Pedestrians able to use bark paths can detour east to the footbridge near the Emerald Valley BMX Park or the bridge near the Cuthbert Amphitheater.

Bike access

Cyclists can detour east to the footbridge near the Emerald Valley BMX Park or west to the bridge near the Cuthbert Amphitheater, following posted signage through the park.

Ashli Blow brings 12 years of experience in journalism and science writing, focusing on the intersection of issues that impact everyone connected to the land — whether private or public, developed or forested.