Pierce County narrows Fox Island bridge options; officials say permitting and funding will drive next steps

Pierce County engineers on Monday told residents gathered at the Fox Island in‑district meeting that they have narrowed a long list of possible fixes for the failing Fox Island Bridge to three options and will begin environmental permitting next year, with funding decisions to follow.

Leticia Neal, Pierce County engineer, said preliminary study work eliminated options such as rehabilitation, floating bridges, tunnels and ferry service and left two 2,000‑foot bridge alignments (one east and one west of the existing structure) and a longer roughly 3,000‑foot western alignment as the alternatives being carried forward for environmental review. “We have defined our purpose and need for the project,” Neal said, and the county will compare these alternatives through the SEPA/permitting process beginning in 2026.

The choice of a final alternative will be driven by permitting and property impacts, Neal and other county staff said. Neal warned that some designs shown in early analyses are intentionally conservative to avoid having to return to regulators for additional studies. “When we move forward with environmental permitting, it’s taking a look at a certain project area and all the things that are involved in this project,” she said. “You don’t want to have to go back and do additional studies.”

Why this matters: the bridge is the only land access to Fox Island. County staff…