SALEM, Ore. -- The pilot of a popular sternwheeler that plies the Willamette River is butting heads with the city of Salem over plans to build a new pedestrian footbridge there.

Capt. Richard Chesbrough said the proposed bridge would block access to the Willamette Slough for his 87-foot, 86-ton sternwheeler, the Willamette Queen.

"My business would not survive because I would have to cancel way too many cruises," Chesbrough said.

Thom Kaffun, parks planning and project manager for the city of Salem, said the footbridge is still in the very early planning stages, making it too soon to address Chesbrough's concerns.

Such a bridge has been in the works for more than 20 years. But environmental concerns and private land ownership snags have always stymied the city's ambitions to build a footbridge linking the downtown riverfront to a nearby Island.

Now, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is seeking to buy 310 acres on the island owned by Boise Cascade.

The prospective deal hinges on the site gaining approval from the state Department of Environmental Quality, which could come by spring.

If a park blossoms on the long-mothballed industrial site, that will breathe new life into the footbridge project, Kaffun said.

Bridge construction potentially could require approval from multiple government agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard and the state Department of Environmental Quality.

Chesbrough said he's confident that state and federal clearance won't be forthcoming for any bridge that would bar him from navigating the slough.

Preliminary bridge designs depicted a three-span structure atop concrete box beams. Cost for the bridge and a multi-use pathway on the island has been pegged at $1.5 million to $2 million. Donations and grants would be sought to help pay for it.

Kaffun said the proposed footbridge could be a big step toward creating, "one of the biggest walking areas and bicycling areas across a major river system west of the Mississippi."

But Chesbrough said a new footbridge would harm the abundant wildlife on the island, including deer, bald eagles, osprey, owls and beavers he has observed.

"I understand that parks are for people, but there's no other place for those animals to live," he said. "I don't think putting a roadway through there for joggers and bicyclists is important enough to dislodge all those animals."

Willamette Queen cruises have been an attraction on Salem's riverfront for nearly a decade. The sternwheeler's capacity is 90 people. It carries about 30,000 passengers per year, Chesbrough said.