Say goodbye to those tens of thousands of giant sandbags lining the Green River Trail and protecting Green River Valley cities from the possibility of flooding – and blocking access to the trail. Howard Hanson Dam has been repaired, and the threat of catastrophic flooding has diminished in Auburn, Kent, Renton and Tukwila.

Dump trunks are being used for the removal process as each of the 20,000 sandbags weighs in at about 1.5 tons. Removing the sandbags is going to take some time, but the work has begun! At this time, the city of Kent is estimating that all the sandbags will be gone by September.

Green River Trail Says Goodbye to 20,000 Sandbags from King County Parks on Vimeo.

“Removal of the sandbags means life is moving forward in the Valley,” said King County Flood Control District Chair Julia Patterson, who also represents the Green River Valley on the King County Council. “Bicyclists can once again enjoy full access to the trail, people who live here in the Green River Valley can return to their normal lives, and businesses in the Valley can get back to doing what they do best — keeping our regional economy strong.”

For more details on this project, read the full press release.