ORTING-- The City of Orting has won a VISION 2050 Award from the Puget Sound Regional Council for its pedestrian evacuation bridge.
The VISION 2050 Awards celebrate progress to enhance the region’s communities and natural environment while advancing equity and opportunity for all. The awards recognize innovative work in the region to create a better future for central Puget Sound.
The new pedestrian bridge will span Highway 162 to provide safer pedestrian passage and reconnect two sides of the city as well as to the regional Foothills Trail. It is the first phase of an evacuation system in the event of a lahar in the Orting Valley.
“The bridge will be essential to the City of Orting,” says Josh Brown, PSRC Executive Director. “Reconnecting communities from the impacts of highways is an important focus of repairing past infrastructure harms in planning. This bridge gives kids a safe way to get to school, makes valuable regional trail connections, and lays the foundation for an evacuation system in the river valley below Mount Rainier.”
The award will be presented at the Orting City Council meeting on June 12.
VISION 2050 is the region’s plan for growth. By 2050, the region's population will reach 5.8 million people. The region’s cities, counties, Tribes, ports, agencies, businesses, and communities have worked together to develop VISION 2050 to prepare for this growth and serve as a guide for sustaining a healthy environment, thriving communities and a strong economy.
