The Delta Ponds Trail in north Eugene is going through the final piece of construction on the loop trail around the pond after years of delays and setbacks. The construction contract to build a bridge, trail extension and boardwalk was signed in June 2023. 

This trail is part of a larger redevelopment project that the City of Eugene has planned for over two decades. One of the goals of the redevelopment was to re-establish the Delta Ponds’ connection to the Willamette River. The concept of having such a trail was first outlined in a 2004 planning document.

Now in the final stages of construction, City of Eugene Landscape Architect Philip Richardson said he hopes the trail will fully open up to the public in a grand opening event sometime around October. 

“What’s really exciting about the project is that you go from just a one-way out-and-back kind of trail to a loop with a bridge that provides really nice viewing opportunities,” Richardson said. “This is kind of the first time we’ve had an accessible loop in a natural area right in the heart of town, so it’s pretty unique for that.”

In terms of funding, the city received a $350,000 Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Local Government Grant, which was used to leverage the 2018 Parks and Recreation Bond to fund project developments in Eugene. The $39.5 million bond included a $3.15 million levy, all to maintain and expand Eugene parks and recreation operations that included the trail’s redevelopment project.

In 2023, the Eugene Parks and Rec Operations and Maintenance Levy 20-343 was passed by voters, which maintains the core services established in the 2018 bond and levy while building on its benefits. Additionally, the average Eugene taxpayer will see a property tax increase of about $67 per year over the 5-year period, which began since the bond’s renewal in May 2023.

Lauri Holts, an ecologist with the City of Eugene, provides advice to the city on any impact on the natural area and gives input to the revegetation plan associated with the project. Her role is to be the voice for natural resources, making sure vegetation and wildlife aren’t being negatively impacted throughout construction.   

Holts works closely with a natural maintenance team to protect natural resources on the site while ensuring they produce the best project that they can. She said she’s looking forward to the construction’s completion and appreciates everybody’s patience around it. 

“There are a lot of people that live in that area and we’ve talked about and wanted to complete this loop project for at least 20 years,” Holts said. “I think it’s going to be wonderful to finally complete it and I think there’ll be a lot of happy walkers and runners that’ll use the loop to see more of the natural area.”

The project faced delays early on due to the COVID-19 pandemic which caused material cost increases and needed permit extensions from multiple agencies. Richardson said another large delay arose when they needed to negotiate property easement and get permission from a neighboring landowner who owned a portion of the necessary property. 

“It’s taken a lot of people to get to this point, a lot of teamwork to negotiate easements and to work through all these permit details,” Richardson said. “As a designer, oftentimes you don’t get exactly what you want, but I think the concept is great [and the end project] is going to be really nice and very popular.”

The final piece of construction is the ongoing work on the boardwalk that connects to the 100-foot-long pedestrian bridge. A delay on the boardwalk segment occurred due to geotechnical issues, but those complications have since been resolved and are now going through the final reviews on the structure. 

“I’ve been, like many people, frustrated that it’s taken this long, but a lot of these things were just really out of our hands,” Richardson said. “Considering the obstacles, the pandemic, working with a concerned landowner, all of those things, I’m just really happy that we’re close to being done. I think it’s going to be a beautiful trail.”

Richardson said that it is one of the few wheelchair-accessible trails in that part of town in a natural area. He said that the project has been designed with that in mind as the trail is sufficiently wide and the slopes aren’t too great.  

The trail will also increase accessibility for local residents to visit. Richardson said the project makes a connection to Goodpasture Island Road that connects to the neighborhood and provides an adequate walking distance for those people. 

“I think as a destination and as a local resident of that area, it’s going to provide a better experience, which was already a good experience, but now it’ll make a loop so much more satisfying to walk on,” Richardson said. “It’s one of these things that kind of hits all of the habitat and recreation, aesthetics, it’s accessible, so we’re very excited about it.”