Two Foothills Trail bridges closed pending additional inspection for flood damage

Photo from Pierce County Parks.

As expected, we have more concerning trail news to share as flood waters finally start to recede at least for now. Pierce County Parks has officially closed two bridges on the Foothills Trail near South Prairie and Orting, one over South Prairie Creek and one over Voight Creek.

This area experienced major flooding in recent days, and Parks crews are concerned about whether debris flows damaged these two trail bridge structures. So until they can inspect them more closely, the bridges are closed indefinitely. Much of the trail in the area is also a huge mess and in an active emergency area, so officials are asking people to stay away as of December 12.

Once the general closure is lifted, Pioneer Way will likely the best trail detour option around the closed bridges even though it does not have sidewalks or bike lanes. Hopefully inspectors do not find significant damage and are able to reopen the full trail. After decades of advocacy and work, the community celebrated in September the first time all of the bridges on the Foothills Trail were open from Puyallup to Enumclaw.

More details from Pierce County Parks:

Following recent inspections along the Foothills Trail, theSouth Prairie Creek pedestrian bridge(approx. 1000 ft. East of South Prairie Trailhead) and the Voight Creek pedestrian bridge (approx. 1 mile East of Orting City Park in downtown Orting) will remain closed until further notice. Significant debris has accumulated at both locations, creating unsafe conditions for crossing.

Parks staff are currently on-site monitoring the situation. The Pierce County Planning and Public Works Transportation Bridge Engineering team will conduct additional inspections on Monday to evaluate any damage and determine when the bridges can safely reopen. Thank you for your understanding.