Columbia riverwalk could stay closed into 2027 as canal repairs continue

Columbia’s riverwalk is still not a short-term closure. The north portion of Riverfront Park at 4122 River Drive remains closed until further notice while the city continues Columbia Canal repairs tied to park access and water-supply work.

That matters for walkers, runners, cyclists, and anyone who uses the riverfront to connect downtown destinations. The city says the project is still moving through several long phases, so the disruption is likely to last well beyond this summer.

Why the closure is still in place

The City of Columbia says the shutdown supports headgate repairs, embankment repairs, and an alternate water supply project. On the city’s canal recovery page, headgate repairs are listed at 15 months beginning in August 2025, embankment repairs at 27 months beginning in August 2025, and the alternate water supply project at 30 months beginning in December 2024.

Those are construction schedules, not a guaranteed reopening date. But they explain why the north end remains closed and why city officials are treating the work as both a park-access issue and a water-infrastructure project.

What the latest reporting says

The State reported on June 12, 2026, that the earliest the riverwalk could reopen is likely July 2027, with full access from both the south and north entrances not expected until 2028. That is the clearest public timeline available now, but it is still an estimate.

The south entrance still offers limited access, and the city points readers to Saluda Riverwalk and Granby Park as nearby alternatives.

Bottom line

For regular users, the practical takeaway is simple: plan for a long closure, not a quick repair. The north portion of Riverfront Park remains closed, the south side is limited, and full access may still be more than a year away.

Sources

• City of Columbia Parks & Recreation closure notice
• City of Columbia Water: Columbia Canal Recovery Project
• The State report on the Columbia riverwalk closure