Accessibility: Much of Bidwell Park is not accessible to people with limited mobility.
Erosion: The erosion of creek banks and along roads and trails is a serious problem in the park. More photos of trail erosion impacts can be seen on this page. The park has a wet weather management plan [pdf].
Forest Ave. Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge Replacement: $100,000 was allocated from Prop 12 funds to replace the old wood-laminate bridge. The new bridge is steel like the Cedar Grove bridge, but with a concrete deck for decreased maintenance and improved traction in icy weather. The project was finished in October 2003.
Highway 99 Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge Replacement: This project is on hold pending the Hwy 99 widening project. Funds allocated for the bridge replacement were reallocated to the Rifle Range cleanup project.
Highway 99 Widening: CalTrans considered several options for widening the highway through the park. All of the proposals require removing hundreds of park trees–the Park Commission voted to recommend expanding the roadway on the outside, leaving a clear space in the median, but the City Council and BCAG, the local planning agency, chose to add lanes in the inside.
Manzanita Ave. Widening: The road-widening plan that was selected uses roundabouts rather than extra traffic lanes in the park corridor to reduce the number of trees that will be removed. An article about the conception and implementation of the roundabouts can be read here.
One Mile Bridge: Congestion at the narrow bridge over the dam at One Mile causes conflicts between pedestrians, cyclists, and sightseers. Proposed solutions include widening of the existing bridge or adding another bridge downstream.
South Park Drive: The middle part of South Park Drive has been closed to motor vehicles for several years. There have been several proposals to also close the section between Cedar Grove and Centennial Avenue. Issues of pedestrian safety vs. public access have not yet been resolved.
Upper Park Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridges: A bridge was proposed for the Day Camp area and another at the end of Upper Park Road. $222,000 was allocated from Prop 40 funding for the Day Camp bridge. Both bridges were conceptually approved, but the MMP update and EIR was inadequate in its review of these projects so the funding was reallocated elsewhere.
Upper Park Road: Periodically, there are discussions about whether to grade, pave or otherwise improve the gravel portion of this road, or to close it to private motor vehicles and provide some kind of public transit instead. As park use increases, this road and its associated parking lots may become a contentious issue.