October 6, 2025 3:40 a.m. 

The historic Stewart Park Drive Bridge in Roseburg will be closed to pedestrians on Wednesday for roadway resurfacing as part of a major bridge rehabilitation project expected to wrap up by November.

A city release said the Great Depression-era steel truss bridge has been closed to all vehicles since early February for an over $6.3 million project to extend its useful life and allow use by modern fire trucks. The 327-foot structure is one of the smallest steel truss cantilever bridges in the country.

The bridge will close to all bicycles and pedestrians from 6:00 a.m. to around 7:00 p.m. Wednesday so the concrete and metal bridge deck can be resurfaced with polymer coating. During the project, the center of the bridge has remained open to foot traffic as a temporary pedestrian path while construction crews work around that section.

Roseburg Public Works Director Ryan Herinckx said, “They’re going to coat the whole bridge deck. It’s got to have time to cure before they can have foot traffic on it”.

The release said a new plastic lumber decking walkway is being built on the bridge’s west side. The project includes truss strengthening, sealing the existing concrete deck and joint ends, reconstructing substandard sidewalk, replacing sidewalk decking and substandard handrails, installing universally accessible sidewalk ramps on both sides, strengthening pin and hangar connections, installing new sidewalk lighting, and prepping and repainting the surface.

All existing paint on the bridge – including the top layers of green paint – has been removed and the bridge’s color has been restored to its original black. The bridge is expected to open by early November.