A UC Riverside walking path between the Barn and Rivera Library will be closed for the early part of 2022 due to a walkway replacement and infrastructure tunnel repair project.

Pedestrians who regularly use the 350-foot section of the Eucalyptus Walk to connect to Rivera, Watkins Hall, and Olmstead Theatre are advised to use an alternative route around Watkins to avoid the construction area.

Fencing will be installed around the area during the construction period. 

Preliminary work on the Eucalyptus Walk project began in December with construction work to follow this month. The project is expected to be completed by May.

A heavily used route near a bus stop at West Campus Drive, the pathway is one of the older ones on campus and has areas of broken concrete, said Daneca Stevens, a project manager with Planning, Design and Construction. A short section of the infrastructure tunnel below that has deteriorated will also be repaired.

Although it has undergone repairs in the past, this is the first replacement project for this section of the path, she said. Crews will demolish and remove the existing path, installing new concrete and brick in its place. 

Truck traffic will not be allowed during the construction period and will be redirected.