Towhead Island is the low patch of land you drive past on the causeway at the south end of the Fox Island Bridge. It has a beach and an old boat launch that has deteriorated. People still put kayaks and other small boats in the water from its shoreline, and people still walk down to the beach. Most island trips cross it without stopping.
That small piece of land is now the main thing that sets the replacement options apart. At Pierce County's September 23 open house, HDR consultant Erik Martin told the crowd that Towhead's future "is one of the key factors differentiating" the three replacement alternatives, as Gig Harbor Now reported. HDR is the county's engineering firm on the project. The county says it expects to pick a single preferred alternative by the end of 2026. That choice will also decide whether the causeway keeps a reachable beach.
Three build options, and Towhead is the clearest difference
Pierce County's Type, Size and Location study came out in February. It set out four options, and those same four now go into the environmental review. The study did not recommend a location. Here is how each option treats Towhead, based on what the county presented in September.
| Option | Approximate length | Towhead Island access |
|---|---|---|
| New span east of the current bridge | About 2,000 feet; the study measured 2,254 | Kept, with a new cul-de-sac |
| New span hugging the west side | About 2,000 feet; the study measured 2,336 | Removed |
| New span arcing west across Hale Passage | About 3,000 feet; the study measured 2,976 | Kept, with a new cul-de-sac |
| No build or deferral | Patch the 1954 bridge for up to 20 years, then replace it | No change for now |
Of the three build options, two keep access and one ends it. If the west-side span is chosen, the beach and the informal launch are cut off from the road. If either of the other two is chosen, Towhead stays reachable and gets a turnaround it does not have today.
A beach the county doesn't own and doesn't plan to take on
Who owns Towhead explains why keeping access is not the same as keeping it up. Martin said at the open house that the federal Bureau of Land Management owns the island. Pierce County leased it in the 1970s and built the boat launch. The county chose not to renew that lease in the 1990s, and it does not maintain the launch today.
Under the two options that keep access, the land would still be federal and nobody local would be planning to fix it up. Martin said neither Pierce County nor Peninsula Metropolitan Park District intends to own or improve the site. A cul-de-sac makes it easier to get in and out. It does not add a dock, restrooms or a new launch ramp.
Public comment has split clearly. The county has heard from people who like the beach access and from people near the causeway who have complained about noisy bonfires and beach parties, and about cars pulling on and off at Towhead and slowing traffic. Gig Harbor Now quoted county engineer Letticia Neal summing it up:
"Some want it gone. Some want it to stay."
Whichever build option the county picks, one of those two groups gets what it asked for.
The Warren Drive corner changes under every option
The other issue the county highlighted in September is on the mainland side. It happens under all three build options, so it doesn't help decide between them. But it will change the drive for everyone. Today, Fox Island Bridge Road curves sharply before it reaches Warren Drive. The county's online open house materials said drivers have crashed there by running off the road. Under any new bridge, the road would meet Warren Drive at a right angle. The new junction would be either a roundabout or a T-intersection with a signal or stop sign.
The county is leaning toward the roundabout. The February study listed a one-lane roundabout as a recommended "key design feature" for all three build options. A county flyer at the September open house said a roundabout would cost less, be safer and cause fewer backups than a T-intersection, and would not affect more properties. Brian Bombardier, an HDR transportation engineer, said "the roundabout being proposed is very small," a single lane sized for light traffic. He also said it would be very different from the Burnham Drive interchange in Gig Harbor.
The October lane closures were about the bridge you drive now
The single-lane closures on October 20, 21 and 22 between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. were not part of choosing a new bridge. They were the last of three inspection visits this year. Crews looked over the whole bridge above the water in August. They came back in September to mark spots for sampling, and in October they took the samples.
County spokesperson Danielle Winski told The News Tribune that those inspections are not directly part of the replacement process. "The samples will be reviewed and evaluated at a lab and then a final report will be developed with recommended repairs that are needed ... to continue sustaining the bridge life and safety," she said.
So there are two separate timelines. The inspection report is about how long the 1954 bridge can keep working. A 2013 study rated it "structurally deficient." The preferred alternative is about what comes after it. The two connect through the fourth option, which would keep patching the current bridge for up to 20 years.
What happens next
The county has given three milestones. It has not explained how the first two fit together on the calendar.
- By the end of 2026: the county's project statement says it expects to arrive at a single preferred alternative that "will come out of" the State Environmental Policy Act Environmental Impact Statement process.
- Next summer: Winski told The News Tribune the EIS drafting process will include a 45-day comment period, an online open house, and one or two in-person open houses. She said it is too early for specifics.
- Later project phases: the county says it will pin down the cost more accurately and prepare a finance plan. The county's funding sources fact sheet says no funding options have been chosen.
The comment window from the September open house closed October 11. That makes next summer's draft EIS comment period the next formal chance to weigh in on Towhead and the roundabout. Gig Harbor Now's February coverage put construction of a build option in 2030 or 2031. Treat that as an earlier projection, not a confirmed start date. The county's Fox Island Bridge project page is where official updates are posted.
The cost is large compared with the island it serves. Gig Harbor Now reported a projected range of $337.3 million to $425.3 million for a crossing that serves fewer than 4,000 residents. Other estimates have used different dollar years and different scopes, so the figure depends on how it is counted.
Who carries island input in the meantime
Between now and next summer, the county's main channel to the island is a new five-member community advisory panel. Planning & Public Works picked the members to pass public concerns to the department and to share county information back with the community. Gig Harbor Now listed the members. They include longtime volunteer John Ohlson, who runs a Facebook page and website for Fox Island; PJ Lauriello of PJ's Pedalworks on the island; Patrick Phillips, division chief of prevention at Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One; Craig McLaughlin of the FICRA board; and a local real estate agent.
Homes nearest the bridge face the longest wait. The county's estimate of properties that could be affected, which covers everything from losing a home to temporary construction use to losing a view, went from 5 to 10 up to 6 to 11. Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer Marty Campbell came to the open house. He said his office is working internally and with state partners to find examples from other places that could help those owners. He did not give a timeline.
The old bridge will carry the island's December traffic as usual. On Saturday, December 5, Santa and Mrs. Claus will be in the Museum Barn at the Fox Island Historical Society Museum, 1017 9th Ave., from 1 to 4 p.m. The next evening, Sunday, December 6, the Annual Tree Lighting & Bonfire at Nichols Community Center, 690 9th Ave., has Santa arriving at 6 p.m., followed by carols and the annual Christmas concert.
If you live near the bridge or the Warren Drive corner and want to talk through what the county's next steps could mean for your home, Kate Diaz is glad to have a calm, no-pressure conversation as the decisions come out. Let's Connect.
