In the 1990s the Oregon Department of Transportation proposed options for replacing the bridge in order to alleviate traffic problems in downtown Corvallis.
Funding was never secured and the project was dropped in 1993, but the plans were revived in 2004.
Plans included options to move the existing structure to a park, leave it in place, and build a new span that could be located in a variety of locations along the river in downtown.
These options were narrowed to two in 2006, one adding a bridge parallel to the existing bridge and the other building a curved bridge between the old span and the Harrison Street Bridge.
The existing structure would have remained in-place under both options, and costs were estimated at around $18 million.

If a new bridge were built, the state originally said they would no longer own and maintain the old bridge, which was proposed to be used for pedestrians and bicycles.
Linn County's Board of Commissioners supported tearing down the old bridge and simply replace it with a new wider span.
In June 2006, ODOT decided to keep the existing span in addition to the new bridge.
Additional studies began in 2007 to determine which of the options for replacement would work best for fixing traffic issues across the river.
Options now included adding a bypass north to connect with Oregon Route 99W. By May 2009, ODOT had two proposals, one of which would not build a new bridge near the existing span.
Both options included adding a northern bypass that would connect to U.S. Route 20 and Oregon 99W.
As of 2015 the plans for a new bridge had been set aside, with improvements to the south bypass and downtown exits for OR 34, OR 20, and 99 W intended to ease congestion instead.
The future northern bypass is considered by planners to be a long term goal, as there is no schedule and none of the estimated $250 million cost has been budgeted.
In the 1990s the Oregon Department of Transportation proposed options for replacing the bridge in order to alleviate traffic problems in downtown Corvallis. Funding was never secured and the project was dropped in 1993, but the plans were revived in 2004. Plans included options to move the existing structure to a park, leave it in place, and build a new span that could be located in a variety of locations along the river in downtown. These options were narrowed to two in 2006, one adding a bridge parallel to the existing bridge and the other building a curved bridge between the old span and the Harrison Street Bridge. The existing structure would have remained in-place under both options, and costs were estimated at around $18 million.
If a new bridge were built, the state originally said they would no longer own and maintain the old bridge, which was proposed to be used for pedestrians and bicycles. Linn County's Board of Commissioners supported tearing down the old bridge and simply replace it with a new wider span. In June 2006, ODOT decided to keep the existing span in addition to the new bridge. Additional studies began in 2007 to determine which of the options for replacement would work best for fixing traffic issues across the river. Options now included adding a bypass north to connect with Oregon Route 99W. By May 2009, ODOT had two proposals, one of which would not build a new bridge near the existing span. Both options included adding a northern bypass that would connect to U.S. Route 20 and Oregon 99W.
As of 2015 the plans for a new bridge had been set aside, with improvements to the south bypass and downtown exits for OR 34, OR 20, and 99 W intended to ease congestion instead. The future northern bypass is considered by planners to be a long term goal, as there is no schedule and none of the estimated $250 million cost has been budgeted.
Van Buren Street Bridge