Oxfordshire County Council has confirmed that Cottesmore footbridge will be entirely replaced after structural concerns led to its closure over the A4142 Oxford Eastern Bypass between Rose Hill and Littlemore.
The crossing has remained shut since May.
Inspectors identified safety issues, prompting the authority to choose full replacement as its preferred long-term option because it was considered the safest, most dependable and most cost-effective solution.
However, the council has not established when construction could start or when pedestrians would be able to use the bridge again.
Final plans are being considered for inclusion in a future capital programme.
The post-tensioned structure was built in 1963, and signs of deterioration had been identified before the closure.
An April structural review classified the bridge as an immediate risk, with corrosion and decay linked to its post-tensioning system.
Inspectors also recorded synchronous movement when pedestrians crossed, creating a possibility of sudden shear failure.
Complaints describing noticeable bouncing were received as early as May 2023.
Detailed investigations in 2012 had already found corrosion and deterioration affecting the post-tensioning system.
Before reaching its decision, the council had assessed three broad possibilities: strengthening and retaining the current bridge, demolishing it, or replacing it.
In August, it stated that no final choice had been made while further investigations continued.
Rose Hill and Littlemore councillor David Henwood welcomed the replacement decision and said new lighting for pedestrian access to Sainsbury’s and surrounding areas would be introduced shortly.
He criticised the time taken to arrange alternatives for less able residents affected by the closure, saying dedicated buses and two minibuses could have been provided when the bridge shut.
He noted that residents had also assisted one another by offering lifts.
Henwood said he was continuing to receive reports of pedestrians attempting to cross the closed structure.
Those using it, he warned, were placing their lives at risk despite understandable frustration.