Lake Oswego is building roughly 870 feet of asphalt along the Willamette River, and it will finish a continuous 2.25-mile riverfront path through Foothills Park, Roehr Park and George Rogers Park. The city's bid documents put the missing piece at about 877 feet. It runs between George Rogers Park and the spot where the existing riverfront trail now stops, at the river bend in front of the Willamette condominiums. That short stretch will also be the most controlled part of the route. It has fences on both sides, it passes behind private homes, and it opens in the same month Lake Oswego's new e-bike rules take effect. On a walk from Foothills to the Oswego Iron Furnace, the newest 870 feet will decide how the rest of the riverfront gets used.
Where the project stands on October 5
The city's project page still gives the completion and opening date as "Fall 2026" and lists the project as active. Its latest dated entry is the groundbreaking at George Rogers Park on July 15, 2026. That came after the City Council authorized a contract with Daybreak Construction in May, which the city chose from 10 bids.
The most recent progress report came from the Old Town Neighborhood Association. Its members met on August 28 with Bruce Powers, the city's construction project manager for the pathway, and Robin Krakauer, communications lead for Parks & Recreation. Powers said the pathway was "on schedule for completion in October and is on budget," and Krakauer had started planning an opening celebration. No celebration date has been made public. The city's October 2026 events calendar has no ribbon-cutting yet. Until the city says otherwise, assume the connector is still a work zone.
The project's estimated cost is $1,760,000. It's paid for by the Lake Oswego Parks General Fund, parks system development charges, Metro's Local Share Program and a Mt. Hood Territory Strategic Investment Program grant. In March, the council listed finishing "the trail connection between Roehr and George Rogers Park" among its 2026 initiatives.
What the new piece is built from
There's no new bridge and no boardwalk. The bid scope calls for an asphalt trail, retaining walls, handrails, fencing, drainage and landscaping. At the George Rogers end, the path will use accessible switchbacks, handrails and landings to climb from the river's edge to the memorial lawn and park circle. That zigzag section will be 10 feet wide.
The fencing will surprise people more than anything else. At the August meeting, Powers said chain-link fencing will run along both sides of the pathway. The standard height is about 6 feet, though some homeowners asked for 5-foot fencing and the city will accommodate that. Homeowners along the route will have locking gates. The new segment is a public corridor through private riverfront land. It will feel more like a passage between yards than a park, and it connects three places built to be parks.
The neighborhood association raised a related question that hadn't been settled by late August: who can reach which part of the riverbank. Oregon's navigable-waterway law and the Public Trust Doctrine treat crossing private land to get to the river differently from reaching the shoreline from the water. The ordinary high-water mark is generally the boundary that matters. Someone landing a kayak or paddleboard may have different rights than someone who steps off the path and walks across a private lot toward the river. The association asked the city to explain where the public and private lines fall before the path opens. For now, stay on the path and treat the fence line as the edge of public space.
The full route, park by park
Once the gap closes, a walker can follow the whole stretch in one go. Listed in the order the city names the parks:
- Foothills Park has a river-viewing platform, William Stafford's Stafford Stones, a timber-and-stone pavilion with a fireplace, a reflecting pond, a grass amphitheater and the Veterans Memorial.
- Roehr Park has river-view decks, lighted paths, benches, an amphitheater and the Charlie S. Brown Water Sports Center. A paved riverfront path already links it to Foothills.
- The new connector runs about 870 feet from the river bend in front of the Willamette condominiums to George Rogers Park and will be fenced on both sides.
- George Rogers Park contains the historic Oswego Iron Furnace, access to the Willamette, and natural areas along Oswego Creek and the river. There's also a small beach area at the river.
- The Old River Road pathway starts in lower George Rogers Park, crosses a footbridge, and follows the river between Old River Road and the water.
The last item matters as much as the new segment. According to the city, the finished pathway will give neighborhoods south of George Rogers Park and Oswego Creek a safe walking and biking connection to downtown. Today the riverfront route north of the park dead-ends. After this project, the Old River Road side of town connects to Roehr and Foothills along the water.
Dogs need to be leashed on every part of the route. City park rules require leashes except in posted off-leash areas.
George Rogers Park in the meantime
The river end of George Rogers Park has been changed during construction. In mid-July, the neighborhood association reported that the ramp down to the river was closed "through September." The restroom stayed open, and the area past it was a fenced construction zone. Reaching the beach meant taking stairs and then a switchback ramp down to the water, and the beach area had more dirt than sand. No public notice since then has confirmed that the ramp reopened when September ended. Plan on the stairs route to the beach until the city announces otherwise.
October 15 changes the rules for wheels
The path is opening just as a new e-bike law takes effect. Lake Oswego's City Council adopted Ordinance 2980, which rewrites Chapter 32 of the city code to cover bicycles, e-bikes, motor-assisted scooters and other powered micromobility devices. It takes effect October 15, 2026. On the city's summary page:
- E-bikes are prohibited on sidewalks.
- On paths, trails, parks and other city property, riders must obey posted restrictions, traffic control devices and trail designations.
- The city may regulate or prohibit bicycle and device use in specific locations through signs, traffic control devices or administrative rules.
- Devices that don't meet a lawful classification may not be operated in public, and the ordinance allows enforcement and impoundment when appropriate.
So the rules on the new connector will depend on the signs the city puts up there. At the August meeting, Krakauer said Parks & Recreation has been working with the Lake Oswego Police Department and its Community Service Officer team on e-bikes ridden at inappropriate speeds, with both enforcement and education. She also said the city's e-bike rules may differ from West Linn's, and some pathway users will be coming from West Linn. Neighborhood association member Jim Perris compared it to state lines. Anyone riding in from West Linn should read the posted signs at the park entrances before assuming the rules they follow at home still apply.
Where the walk ends up
The project page frames the finished path as a link to downtown, and downtown's First Street and State Street have places to stop. The Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce lists Artisserie Fine Bakery at 350 First St., St. Honoré Boulangerie at 315 First St., Suite 103, and Lake Oswego Coffee House & Wine Bar at 148 B Ave., Suite 200. For a sit-down meal, its dining listings include the Willamette Valley Vineyards Tasting Room and Restaurant at 55 S. State St., Suite 3105, and Nicoletta's Table at 333 S. State St., Suite M.
Saturdays add another stop this month. The Lake Oswego Farmers' Market's 25th-anniversary season runs through October 31 at Millennium Plaza Park, 200 First Street, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. After the regular season ends, the city's Reunion Farmers' Market returns to Millennium Plaza Park on Saturday, November 21, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with returning vendors, live music, artisans and horse-drawn wagon rides. If the connector opens on the October target, the first full walk along the river from Foothills to the Iron Furnace could fit into one of the market's last Saturdays.
New public paths behind private lots tend to come up when sellers along the riverfront talk about privacy, fencing and access. At ELEETE Real Estate, our brokers follow projects like this one so we can tell you how a new connector affects the homes beside it. If you own along the Willamette in Lake Oswego and want to understand how the Greenway might affect your property, request a strategic consultation.
