Community Government Transportation

Bridge talk attracts crowd to Fox Island county council meeting

Two hundred people packed Fox Island’s Heart Church for Robyn Denson’s District 7 Pierce County Council meeting Monday night. The turnout awed Denson’s colleagues.

“I don’t think my council members should be too jealous because I know why you’re all here,” admitted Denson, noting the council must hold an evening meeting each year in each of its seven districts.

The three alternatives

They were all there to discuss a new Fox Island bridge. During an April 8 open house, the county and consultant HDR announced they had narrowed options to three — a 2,000-foot bridge just east of the current 1,950-footer, a 2,000-foot bridge along the west side of it and a 3,000-foot bridge that arches out farther to the west.

County Engineer Letticia Neal provides information about a new Fox Island bridge. Photo by Ed Friedrich

Other options, such as ferries, tunnels, floating bridges and retrofitting the existing bridge, were dropped because of cost, property impacts or constructability, they said.

Cost estimates are $209-$217 million for the shorter bridges and $254-257 million for the longer one. The 2,000-footers would use the existing causeway on the island side while the 3,000-footer would go around the boat launch and make landfall west of it. Construction could begin in 2030, if environmental permitting, design and funding go smoothly.

Funding on everyone’s mind

Twelve residents spoke during the public comment period Monday, all but a couple about the bridge’s price tag and how it would be funded. Rules don’t allow the council to respond to comments. Denson also read several questions submitted to her that the board could address.

The existing bridge cost $1.5 million when it was built in 1954. That would be equivalent to $18 million today, said Fox Island resident Jeff Boly. The county plans to spend that much just on repairs from 2026 to 2031, it said Monday. He called for coordinating efforts and streamlining the process to reduce costs.

“We all need to think about the cost very extensively,” he said.

Denson said she and the county have heard “loud and clear” that residents want a good, safe bridge at the lowest possible cost without bells and whistles.

County Engineer Letticia Neal said it must present “pie-in-the-sky” amenities to get through permitting. It can then right-size the project. It can always downscale, but it can’t upsize without restarting the process. One example is a roundabout at the east end that would require the largest footprint, she said. State and federal grants also require certain amenities.

Residents won’t pay for it all

Denson heard from residents who believed they would be responsible for wholly funding the new bridge through tolls, increased property taxes, a transportation benefit district, a road improvement district or a combination of those.

“That has never been the case,” she said. “It is a county bridge.”

“I do not believe one single funding option can cover it,” Neal added. “We’re going to need a mix. There was never an expectation that 100% of the cost would fall on residents.”

Tolling would require approval of the state Transportation Commission. Residents would need to vote on a property tax or license tab increase, Neal said.

It’s assumed that the community will contribute to bridge costs in some manner, said resident Dan White, but he’d like to eliminate tolling as an option. Half of toll revenues would be devoted to administering them.

“Tolls should be a total non-starter,” he said. “Tolls are the least efficient way to collect money. We will absorb some of the cost, but let’s make it efficient. I’d like to see at some time tolls are not on that list (of funding options).”

Plus, anybody coming to the island for business would tack toll costs onto the bill, he said.

Tolling also wouldn’t affect those who own property but don’t live on the island.

Absentee property owners should contribute

“Property owners would not be paying anything, so doing tolls is ridiculous,” said Steve Kasal. “If you have property on the island, you should be paying something toward the bridge as well. I would like to know why it’s so expensive. Two hundred and fifty million. Everybody thinks it’s ridiculous.”

Bruce Monell suggested forming a task force so “talking heads” hear directly from stakeholders. Michael Daniel said a tunnel option was prematurely bounced, and the county should talk to tunnel builders about whether it would be too expensive. Erin Pearson said she inherited a failing North Shore Boulevard seawall and has fought with the county for eight years to get it repaired, which will occur this year.

“We need to have a conversation about how long permitting takes,” she said. “The (bridge) timeline is ambitious at best. We have to bring down the permitting cost.”

The county’s Neal conceded, “It’s very likely we will not be ready for construction in 2030.”

The Pierce County Council held its meeting at Heart Church on Fox Island Monday. Photo by Ed Friedrich

John Ohlson is among those who believe funding a new bridge should be the county’s responsibility.

“It’s important that everyone in the county bears the cost as opposed to island residents,” he said. “We pay for all the other projects around the county equally with everyone else, so I think this should be no different.”

County Exec attended

Pierce County Executive Ryan Mello and FICRA (Fox Island Building Trust; formerly Fox Island Community and Recreation Association) President Weston King welcomed the crowd.

“There are no easy and inexpensive answers to solving the problem of a failing bridge,” said Mello, noting several meet that description throughout the county. “We will get through this and move forward together.”

King credited Denson for not only listening to islanders but acting and keeping residents informed.

“Tonight is more than a meeting. It’s an opportunity for us as islanders to be present at the table with you, to engage and help what comes next for Fox Island,” he said.

Local legislators offered remarks

State Sen. Deb Krishnadasan, D-Gig Harbor, and Rep. Adison Richards, D-Gig Harbor, spoke briefly at the end. They encouraged residents to speak out as they did for West Sound Tech during the recent legislative session. A $42 million building renovation project was left out of the capital budget, but they and citizens pushed to restore funding.

Krishnadasan has brought the Fox Island bridge to the Transportation Committee’s attention and said the state is committed to helping with design and engineering costs. Chairman Marco Liias, D-Edmonds, wants to make a site visit.

Fox Island native Richards, inspired by the bridge plans, said he passed House Bill 1902 that will develop recommendations to smooth a permitting process that now leads to delays and cost overruns for transportation projects.

A video of the meeting can be viewed here.

Other upcoming work

Aside from new bridge talk, Neal and Maintenance and Operations Manager Mark Schumacher outlined upcoming local public works plans.

The county expects to chip seal 51 lane miles in the Gig Harbor area, beginning on June 2. Some of the larger stretches are Peacock Hill Avenue, Hunt Street, Kopachuck Drive, Artondale Drive/78th Avenue, Warren Drive, Ford Drive, Cromwell Drive, East Bay Drive and part of Wollochet Drive, all at the south end. Visit PierceCountyWa.gov/ChipSeal for a map of locations.

Chip sealing, in which a layer of gravel is applied over a layer of liquid asphalt, is a cost-effective way to resurface low- to medium-volume roads. It extends pavement life by 7 to 15 years and reduces maintenance costs, according to the county.

Crews will repair the seawall Pearson mentioned in mid-August, fix the scoured-out Randall boat launch in East Gig Harbor tentatively on Aug. 21 and remove damaged concrete panels at the south end of Point Fosdick Drive and replace them with asphalt in September.

Longer-term road projects include 38th Street sidewalks, East Bay Drive shoulder improvements and traffic calming on 34th Street/63rd Avenue, which are in the six-year draft Transportation Improvement Program. Two culvert replacement projects to improve fish passage are planned for Purdy Creek at 160th Street (2027) and 144th Street (2031) and two on Artondale Drive in 2030.

Fire chief provides update

Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One Chief Dennis Doan provided an update on Fox Island and district affairs. Renovation of Fox Island’s Station 53 to include a decontamination room and fifth bedroom was completed in February.

Despite being staffed more than 200 times in 2023, a bureau downgraded its fire protection rating, causing some insurers to increase homeowner premiums. The station had been staffed by volunteers, which the bureau considered to be available all the time. After the volunteer program was dissolved, full-time responders weren’t there every day so the bureau no longer saw it as a full-time active station. Doan and a couple residents pleaded their case and got the former rating restored.

Fox Island station staffed at least two years

Station 51 on Kimball Drive is awaiting city approval to be razed and rebuilt. When work begins in the fall, its personnel and an engine will shift to Fox Island. After it’s completed in 14 months, Stations 58 (Swede Hill) and 59 (Artondale) will undergo renovations and their staff will move to Station 53.

“We’ll have staffing at this station the next few years,” Doan said. “My hope is we’ll be able to keep the Fox Island station open after that.”

Doan said Denson is the hardest-working public servant he’s met and praised Jim Braden and Doug Nelson for their “model” disaster preparedness efforts.

“In a disaster, we won’t be there,” he said. “Three people and one engine won’t save the community.”