09-04-2025
All 24 miles of this popular Pierce County trail will soon be open for the first time
Crews started construction on Monday to replace a major bridge on the Foothills Trail, and the county estimates the trail will fully reopen by July 1.
In July 2023, a routine inspection found damage on the top chord of the Spiketon Ditch Bridge on the section of the trail between South Prairie and Buckley. Citing a threat to public safety, Pierce County closed the bridge in November 2023 and it was subsequently demolished in June. The closure has caused significant disruption to the Foothills Trail for over a year due to the lack of a detour for pedestrians or cyclists to reach the other side of the path.
An engineering report found that the wood bridge suffered extensive pest and water damage during its 15 years of operation, according to Pierce County's website. Ted Yoder, the bridge's project manager with Pierce County, told The News Tribune that the new bridge will be made of hot-dip galvanized steel and concrete, incorporating a pin and panel design similar to a bridge on Pioneer Way East.
Yoder said the new design is built for a 70-year lifetime, protects against pests or other environmental damage and will be quick and cost effective to build.
'If a tree happens to fall on one or even on two of the sections, you can remove the damage to replace, as opposed to the whole bridge being fully damaged and possible collapse,' he said.
The County awarded a $1.084 million contract to Ceccanti, Inc. to construct the bridge. Added to other associated design, mitigation and consulting costs, the total cost of the project is expected to be about $1.4 million, Yoder said. He added that the county reallocated funds from the Park Sales Tax fund to the Paths and Trails Construction fund to finance the project.
In September 2024, the total length of the trail — which reaches just outside of Pierce County — was extended to 24 miles with the opening of the Foothills Bridge over the White River. Yet, the Spiketon Ditch Bridge closure has limited the advantage of that opening, said Breanna Fokes, executive director of the Foothills Rails-to-Trails Coalition.
'Trail users have yet to experience the benefit of that White River Bridge and being able to do all 24 miles in one trip,' Fokes said. 'I know everybody is just really excited about that.'
Fokes said trail maintenance can be challenging, adding that she is thankful to Pierce County for recognizing the need to expedite the bridge's construction. The Foothills Rails-to-Trails Coalition has also partnered with Pierce County Parks & Recreation in recent years to assist with trail maintenance through volunteer work parties from March to October. The latest event, which will focus on the planting of two hundred new trees to create shade along a section of the trail, will be on April 26.
Although there is no safe detour to cross Spiketon Ditch, once the bridge is complete, the Foothills Trail should be fully open until other projects scheduled for 2026 begin, said Pierce County Trails Planner Travis Curry. He noted that the county plans to replace the trail's Ski Park Bridge but hopes to identify an official detour to avoid closing the trail during construction.
'We're just really excited about completing this project to get the full length of the trail back open and fully accessible to the public right as prime biking, walking and rolling season starts,' Curry said. '... We're really proud of how we were able to pull our resources together to find a solution and get it done in such a short window.'
The county needed a damage report, and had to go through design and permitting processes before construction could begin.
Andriana Fletcher, Pierce County public information specialist, said the public can visit the project website at for updates.
