With music, gifted trees, and snacks of Trail Mix (What else?), Pierce County celebrated the new Parkland Community trail Ribbon Cutting. The event began with a trail walking tour near Spire Rock at Sprinker Recreation center at 9:30 in the morning. This portion was hosted by ForeverGreen Trails and Executive Director Larry Leveen. When the…
Category: Bridges
Fairfax Bridge fan here, unapologetic
EditorialMarianne Lincoln Whether you call it O’Farrell or Fairfax, the bridge over the Carbon Canyon is closed. In the past few years, it became overwhelmingly obvious that it was becoming unstable. Frankly, I was surprised it took as long as it did to tag it. Yet with all the amazing history and beautiful scenery up…
Clover Creek Community Park? Maybe so!
By Marianne Lincoln Over the past several months, I have been working on grant writing, proposals, and resource outreach for our watershed. Clover Creek is the most prominent feature in our portion of this watershed along with Spanaway and Tule Lakes. The grants led me to zero in on properties Pierce County had purchased due…
Great Job Everyone!
Editorial Comment: Marianne Lincoln I know we are still in the middle of this rain event in Washington State, but I have to comment. Since the mid 1990’s, I have travelled around Pierce County and taken photos of flooding. Occasionally, I jump into my sister’s Cessna 172, and she does the flying while I take…
Nov 18 Public Comment Deadline
COMMENT OPPORTUNITIES Pierce County Surface Water Improvement Program (SWIP) Pierce County provides services in fulfillment of various regulatory drivers, including: Clean Water Act and NPDES Permit Compliance; Endangered Species Act (ESA) Compliance, Culvert Replacement Program, The Hirst Decision and Watershed Planning, Floodplain Management and NFIP Compliance. Pierce County geographic area covers the Puyallup and Nisqually…
We need an O’Farrell Bridge Replacement Trust Fund
By Marianne Lincoln As an eager student of South Pierce County history, and a lifetime resident, I have travelled the O’Farrell (Fairfax) Bridge many times. We often stopped to take photos. The family visited the Carbon River side of the mountain, walked across the Carbon Rover in the summer over the fallen trees slashed to…
Public invited to SR 165 Carbon River/Fairfax Bridge in-person open houses on June 2, 11
Both events include displays, timelines and chances to provide feedback CARBONADO – Community members are invited to learn more about options for the future of State Route 165 and crossing the Carbon River at two in-person open houses in June. The Washington State Department of Transportation will hold one event at Carbonado School from 4…
BRT, Cross Base, and other fictitious creatures
EDITORIAL OPINION Around 1995, folks living on 174th Street wanted some traffic control measures added to their street due to high traffic and safety issues. The County Council promised to put $2 million into the issues. That $2 million was reallocated to a project in Gig Harbor a couple weeks later. Spanaway and Frederickson had…
304th to be closed for bridge work near Benston Hall, July 20-21
Pierce County Planning and Public Works has scheduled a bridge closure for resurfacing on Saturday and Sunday, July 20-21, from 8 AM to 8 PM. Travelers should be aware that the road will be closed during this period and detours will be in place. The closure is near the Benston Hall, between the Mountain Highway…
The Parkland-Spanaway Flood Plain
By Claudia Riiff Finseth Every fall I get a big postcard from Pierce County reminding me I live in an area known to flood, the Spanaway-Parkland flood plain. And I know it’s true because twice in twenty-five years we have had hundred year floods here where I live along Spanaway Creek near 138th Street South…
Paving coming for parts of State Route 7
Fish passage work at two creeks, paving coming for State Route 7 in Pierce CountyProject consolidates work, cuts costs EATONVILLE – More than five miles of State Route 7 will see construction between Eatonville and Spanaway into fall 2023. The project will remove two barriers to fish passage and repair miles of the highway surface. Combining…
County Flood Plan April 12 Open House
PIERCE COUNTY — Pierce County is currently in the process of drafting the 2023 Comprehensive Flood Management Plan. The 2023 Flood Plan identifies policies, programs and projects to help improve our community’s resilience to riverine, coastal, groundwater and urban flood hazards by: • Reducing flooding impacts, structure damages, and maintenance costs. • Improving natural habitat…
SEPA – when it really matters, or does it?
By Marianne Lincoln [Podcast link] [Editor Update: [Editor Update: Wetland Variance, Tommy’s Carwash, Application Number: 979272Related Application Numbers: 958554 and 975551Tax Parcel Numbers: 0319121055, 0319121057 and 0319121058Examiner’s Hearing: March 30, 2022, at 9 A.M., at the Pierce County Public Services Building,South Entrance, Public Meeting Room, 2401 South 35th Street, Tacoma, WA 98409.] SEPA is an…
Report adverse road conditions to Pierce County
Pierce County Planning and Public Works (PPW) is monitoring all rivers and responding to localized flooding events on county roads, stormwater facilities, and levees. They can be reported through an online or mobile app. Flooded roadways Drain, ditch or pipe plugged in unincorporated Pierce County City flooding: Tacoma Lakewood Puyallup Other hazards, (there are many…
A disaster called Clover Creek
Since 1853, when Washington became a Territory, Clover Creek has been diverted, dammed, dug up, relocated, culverted, drilled back into the ground and had vast amounts of pollutants dumped into it. The creek was named by Christopher Mahon who settled a Donation Land Claim there, where the Brookdale Golf Course was later sited. Their home…
River Flood Warning until SAT 5:41 PM PST
From McChord SFB Weather Alerts Action Recommended Avoid the subject event as per the instructions Issued By Seattle/Tacoma – WA, US, National Weather Service Affected Area Nisqually River Near National Description …FLOOD WARNING NOW IN EFFECT FROM THIS MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON… WHAT…Moderate flooding is occurring and major flooding is forecast. WHERE…Nisqually River Near National….
Replacing the Milroy Bridge
Pierce County seeks public input on early environmental findings for River Crossing Bridge project Early findings from an environmental review of a proposed new bridge across the Puyallup River into Fife are available for public review and comment through Friday, Sept. 24. The bridge project – known as the River Crossing – is part of…
Thorne Lane on-ramp to I-5 closes for 3 months
Work leads to permanent ramp changes for travelers, removes potential railroad intersection delays WSDOT LAKEWOOD — Travelers should prepare for a new stage of work on the I-5 Steilacoom-DuPont Road to Thorne Lane Corridor Improvements project. Once finished this construction will permanently change the way travelers exit to Berkeley Street and Thorne Lane. Weather permitting,…
Overnight lane closures on I-5 and SR 167 in Tacoma start Jan. 4 for bridge construction
WSDOT — Contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation are kicking off 2021 in a big way – and travelers should prepare now to alter travel or allow extra travel time. Throughout the month of January, Guy F. Atkinson Construction will install the final 30 bridge girders on the last three spans…
Input on Milroy Bridge Replacement
Pierce County seeks public input on project to replace Milroy Bridge PIERCE COUNTY — The community can provide input about potential environmental impacts of a project to build a new bridge from Canyon Road East across the Puyallup River into the City of Fife via an online open house through Aug. 7. The bridge project…