A few years ago, a fallen tree limb damaged the bridge in Cottonwood Park, restricting its use to a single lane for visitors accessing the dog park. Since then, Public Lands has been exploring funding options for repairs or replacement.

Recently, an inspection by the Public Lands property maintenance team and the City’s Engineering Division revealed additional safety concerns, including broken wood slats and metal corrosion. Due to the seriousness of these findings, the decision was made to close the bridge for public safety. Given the extent of the corrosion, repairing the bridge is not feasible, and a full replacement is recommended. The Public Lands Department is currently working on cost estimates and planning to proceed with the replacement as soon as possible. The current detour is expected to remain in effect for at least one year. 

The Council recently received an update on efforts to reimagine Cottonwood Park as part of the voter-approved Parks, Trails, & Open Space Bonds which includes potentially relocating the bridge to a new location a few hundred feet away along the Jordan River Trail from the current damaged bridge.

Watch the briefing about the project.