Foothills Trail bridges were not seriously damaged by flooding and are now open

A good news update out of the region's flooding disaster: Two Foothill Trail bridges that inspectors were worried about have been cleared to reopen.

When Pierce County Parks announced earlier this week that they were closing two bridges on the Foothills Trail due to concerns about damage from flooding and debris strikes, we worried that the long-sought trail might be doomed to another extended bridge closure after only 88 days being fully-open from Puyallup to Enumclaw. It would have been so disappointing to a community that has worked for decades to build this rail-trail if new bridge closures set it back so soon after all the bridges finally opened.

Now don't go rushing out to make a trip to the trail just yet. The area was hard hit by flooding earlier this week, and the flood emergency is ongoing even as water has receded in some areas. There is still a lot of cleanup and recovery work to do, and more rain is in the forecast. Here's hoping the worst is behind us, and area residents get a reprieve.

Obviously, the trail opening is not the most important thing happening in flood-affected areas, but maybe folks can blow off some stress with a little bike ride on stretches of the trail that aren't covered in flood debris.

More details from Pierce County Parks:

The South 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) are now open for trail users.

The bridges previously were closed due to debris build up and the Pierce County Planning and Public Works Transportation Bridge Engineering team conducted additional inspections to evaluate any damage. Both bridges passed inspection and are now open for use.

For more updates, visit www.PierceCountyWA.gov/Foothills.