Construction underway on Foothills Trail Bridge over Spiketon Ditch, expected to open ‘early summer’

The Foothill Trail is on schedule to reopen across Spiketon Ditch in early summer, about one and a half years after Pierce County declared it an emergency closed it following a very concerning inspection. Inspectors determined that the bridge was barely holding its own weight and was at risk of collapse.

Pierce County Parks said in an email update this month that construction is underway on a permanent bridge replacement for the old rail-trail bridge. We're looking forward to welcoming trail users back to this section by early summer 2025," the email said.

The county had briefly considered putting in a temporary bridge while they planned a permanent bridge, but decided to expedite the process for a permanent bridge instead. The unexpected loss of the Spiketon Ditch Bridge took some of the wind out of the sails when King and Pierce Counties opened the much larger and more expensive White River Bridge spanning the county line in September 2024. By this summer, people will finally be able to bike or walk on a trail from Enumclaw to Puyallup. This has been a very long time coming.