Popular section of Orting’s Foothills Trail to close for levee maintenance
A popular 3-mile section at the heart of the Foothills Trail will be closed for up to two weeks starting July 27th at 6 a.m during levee repairs.
Pierce County parks announced the trail will be closed between Orting and Crocker, but could reopen on weekends and evenings after 5 p.m. if crews deem conditions safe.
Updates will be posted daily on the county website.
County crews will install large rocks weighing up to 15 tons as part of annual levee repair. These rocks will replace existing levee rocks increasing stablity. Trucks and heavy equipment will access the levee via Bridge and 188th streets.
“This maintenance work is needed to protect people and property when a lot of water is flowing in the Carbon River,” Harold Smelt, county public works surface water manager, said in a prepared statement. “We recognize these closures of the trail are inconvenient, so we appreciate the community’s patience.”
Signs will be posted on trailheads and the county will post flaggers at both ends of the closure to ensure people do not enter the barricaded construction zone.
A statement from the county says, “If the trail is able to re-open during non-work hours, the trail surface may be rougher than normal, so trail users should use extreme caution. After the work is completed, the trail will be resurfaced if needed to repair any damages.”
Construction must be done in the summer along the river to avoid impacting salmon, according to the county’s statement.
STATE PARK PHOTO EXHIBIT
Tacoma’s Washington State History Museum will host an exhibit featuring state parks Aug. 1-Oct. 31. The exhibit features Great Depression-era images of the parks taken by Asahel Curtis.
“Washington State Parks through the Lens of Asahel Curtis” is open during museum hours, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. On the third Thursday of each month, the museum stays open until 8 p.m. with free admission from 2-8 p.m.
The 1930s-era photographers illustrate early recreational use and park development in the state. Deception Pass, Mount Spokane, Sun Lakes-Dry Falls, Moran and Saltwater state parks, all of which became popular parks, are among those featured in the exhibit.
Curtis was a prominent photographers in the Northwest before his death in 1941. The images where originally black and white but were color-tinted in Curtis’ Seattle studio. The parks were recently digitized and added to the State Park’s Collections Program.
The exhibit was funded by revenue from the sales of Washington State Parks license plates.
This story was originally published July 21, 2015 at 1:08 AM with the headline "Popular section of Orting’s Foothills Trail to close for levee maintenance."