Construction of a 1,400-foot Puyallup River side channel near Orting will begin Monday, Sept. 18. This new side channel will reduce impacts to nearby neighborhoods from river flooding and establish salmon habitat.

Construction on the 48-acre site, which is adjacent to the Foothills Trail at South Fork Road and State Route 162, will continue through November 2018.

Extensive modeling was used to develop the channel that will reduce flooding pressure on the nearby neighborhoods. Properties on the top of the valley wall, near the McMillin Reservoir, will not be affected by the side channel.

Foothills Trail users can expect to be stopped briefly by flaggers when trucks cross the trail to access the worksite.

Trucks will access the project site via South Fork Road, which crosses the Foothills Trail just north of the McMillin Trailhead and State Route 162 bridge over the Puyallup River. Flaggers will be onsite to direct both truck traffic and trail users. Trail users may be stopped for short periods of time. A project sign has been installed at the project entrance to provide updates about the work.

This is the final phase of a project that started in 2013 with the construction of a 2,000 foot-long side channel along the west side of the Puyallup River to reduce flood risk, restore floodplain and provide salmon habitat.

This last phase of the project will cost $1.7 million, with approximately $1 million coming from state grant monies and the remainder from matching county funds. RV Associates of Port Orchard is the contractor.

Due to environmental regulations, in-water construction must be done during the summer to avoid impacts to salmon.

A project webpage is available here.