By Doug Adamson
It's all looking up from here! We are on our way to completing three of six fish barrier removals under US 101 in Clallam and Jefferson County.
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| Schedule of work for the rest of 2024 through 2025 |
What we've done
Last summer we kicked off construction at Eagle Creek. Part of that work required reducing US 101 to one lane for one week. It was a difficult week for the Olympic Peninsula. But with your help, we were able to replace a culvert that was a barrier to fish. The old culvert compared to the new bridge and rebuilt stream at Eagle Creek. Work is completed at this location near Gardiner.
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| Before and after comparison of the work that removed barriers to fish. Eagle Creek (left) had been carried under the highway in a culvert that didn’t meet the needs of fish. Workers rebuilt the culvert (right) to be much wider and taller to remove the barrier to fish. |
This year, work has been moving right along at Discovery Creek and Chicken Coop Creek. These are the work zones you see near Blyn and Sequim. We had two active two-lane bypass roads near West Sequim Bay Road at milepost 268.5 and near Deerhawk Drive at milepost 271.9, respectively, that allowed us to replace the culverts with minimal effects to traffic.
It's a common tool we use during this type of work. While we dig up the highway, people use a two-lane bypass road next to the work zone. We're keeping people moving while we remove barriers to fish.
Travelers are now using new highway bridges at both locations. Check out our progress!
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| The new bridge at Discovery Creek. This work near Sequim will be completed this fall. |
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| Our new bridge at Chicken Coop Creek near Blyn. Work here will be completed this fall. |
What's to come
This spring our contractor began work on the bridge at Contractor's Creek (bu-dum-tiss). They have temporarily widened US 101 to shift travelers away from the work zone. The shifted lanes will stay in place until spring.
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| Traffic shifted onto the US 101 widening to make space for the work zone at Contractor’s Creek. This work along Discovery Bay continues through fall 2025. |
Entering the home stretch
Later this summer and fall construction will begin on the final two fish barriers: Johnson Creek near Sequim. There's also a stream in the Blyn.
Johnson Creek will require a closure to left turns at the intersection of Whitefeather Way and US 101. During September, there will be no left turns to or from US 101 and Whitefeather Way until June 2025.
Vehicles accessing the John Wayne Marina or the Olympic Discovery Trail parking lot on Whitefeather Way will detour along West Sequim Bay Road.
We'll use a two-lane bypass road to keep people moving through the work zone. The proximity of the work zone and Whitefeather Way means we'll need to make these temporary restrictions.
To get the job done, we'll also need to temporarily close Whitefeather Way at US 101. This will happen during spring 2025. The closure will be about two weeks. We understand it is an inconvenience. We work to keep intersections open when possible. However, this task will require the temporary closure. We'll let you know when the closure is scheduled.
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| Detour route for the intersection of Whitefeather Way and US 101 |
Why do this work in the Summer?
We're restricted to a short time when we can do this type of work. These kinds of projects have what we call &"in-water work windows" (or sometimes we call them &"fish windows" for short). This is the time of year that we're allowed to do this type of work due to environmental considerations. This window is usually July through September. We do a lot of other work outside this fish window. That's when we're not working in the water. This is why you're seeing work other times of the year.
For the fish and us
This project will remove barriers to fish passage under US 101. A fish passage barrier is anything that hinders fish from moving upstream or downstream. Old culverts allow water to flow but may not allow fish to swim through. They may block fish because the water flow is too swift, too shallow, or has a waterfall.
Correcting these barriers is an important part of the state's efforts to restore salmon runs, ultimately benefiting both the Pacific Northwest landscape and economy.
Getting the job done
In about a year, most construction will be complete. That means we'll be done with the remaining two-lane bypass roads.
Construction schedules are subject to change for a lot of reasons. We will share the latest information once it becomes available via our email updates for state highways in Jefferson and Clallam Counties. We also have updates on our project web page.
Stay safe
Please watch your speed in work zones. Always give construction crews the room they need to get this work done. Keeping your eyes on the road and slowing down helps keep you, our crews and other drivers safe.
Don't get surprised!
We have many tools to help you stay informed both before you go and while traveling:
Do you walk or ride through this area? Portions of US 101 are detoured onto the Olympic Discovery Trail.
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