By: Angela Cochran
Narrator: “You're traveling around the Olympic Peninsula, a peninsula not only of sight and sound, but of mind. A journey along a wondrous highway whose boundaries are that of natural marvels. Your next stop, the Road Construction Zone!”
We’ve all had that feeling – you walk into a house or a hotel or an office building for the first time, but it feels like you’ve been there before. Or you’re driving on US 101, and you see a traffic light where you’ve never seen one before. A few miles down the road, there’s another traffic light. Is it déjà vu?
No, it’s construction, and it’s coming this summer to a highway near you.
Don’t worry, though, you’ll still be able to get to your destination. Grab some snacks, turn the radio up and please, for the love of Baby Yoda, slow down in the work zones.
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If your summer plans include traveling around the Olympic Peninsula, you’ll likely see numerous road work for fish passage and bridge or road preservation projects. |
Truth be told, you’ve heard us talk a lot about road construction around the peninsula the past couple of summers. This year is no different. You’ll see many new work zones along with a few that are the same as last year.
Fish, fish, and more fish
It’s no secret that we are working to improve fish passage under state highways. We ramped up efforts on the Olympic Peninsula in 2023 by working on several sites in a particular area at a time. This summer, a whopping 16 work zones will greet travelers on US 101 from Discovery Bay, west to Sequim, Port Angeles, Forks and south to Lake Quinault.
Many work zones will have temporary bypass roads to keep people moving. Those bypass roads will have temporary traffic signals or work crews alternating traffic on one lane. This is what you’ll see along US 101 west of Olympic National Park.
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Traveling along US 101 west of Lake Crescent then south to Lake Quinault, you’ll see 10 work zones with temporary bypass roads and traffic signals. |
Some of the culvert locations require full closures with detours. In Port Angeles, work at Tumwater Creek includes an 80-day closure of US 101 that started March 3. Travelers are following a signed detour using SR 117. We have a video showing the detour on our YouTube channel. In July, a full closure will be in place on SR 116 near Port Hadlock-Irondale.
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US 101 is closed at Tumwater Creek while crews dig up the roadway to replace an outdated culvert. |
On your way into or out of Port Angeles, you’ll encounter two more fish barrier removal work zones. At Lees Creek and Ennis Creek, we’ve begun a two-year effort to take out culverts beneath US 101. The work zones are just east of the city limits. There are no daytime closures for these locations. Instead, take note of the reduced speed limit and lane shifts you’ll see within the work zones.
If you’re headed to or from the coast in Grays Harbor County, you’ll once again travel through several work zones along US 12/SR 8. We’ve been working on a fish passage project at five locations between Olympia and Montesano since 2023. We are getting close to the finish line but still have some work to do before opening the lanes at each site. Right now, all five work zones have one lane open in each direction. Throughout spring and summer, we will shift traffic to open the other two lanes. Once that happens, you’ll still see daytime lane closures while our contractor finishes landscaping and other final work.
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Last fall, our workers saw fish swimming upstream of the new culvert installed under SR 8 near McCleary. We are finishing up road work there this spring and summer. |
Preserving our roads and bridges
Last summer, we finished work on a new US 101 Elwha River Bridge and opened the bridge to travelers. Our new bridge is replacing the original bridge that was built in 1926. This summer, crews will return to remove the original bridge. We don’t anticipate any delays to travelers for this work, but if something should change, we will share on the project webpage.
Over on the Hood Canal, the SR 104 bridge needs constant maintenance and upkeep, in large part due to the salt water it sits in. In April, the bridge will again have routine inspections performed. In August, construction crews will wrap up work on the bridge’s center lock system and shock absorbers. All of this work will require some short-term openings of the bridge that last 30 to 40 minutes during daytime hours. Some work will require the bridge to close to traffic during overnight hours from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. We will share out specific dates for this work once it becomes available.
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A shock absorber removed from the SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge in May 2024. |
We also have plans to help give drivers a smoother ride this summer on a couple peninsula state highways. Sections of US 101 south of Shelton and SR 112 in Clallam County will see a new roadway surface this summer.
US 101 paving will take place between Shelton and Olympia. Along with single-lane closures in both directions, you’ll see the speed limit reduced from 60 mph to 45 mph.
On SR 112, we have a paving, preservation and emergency repair project. You can expect to see some one-way alternating traffic there later this summer. Keep an eye on our statewide travel map for updates and real-time traffic information.
Stay informed – Online Open House
We know this is a lot to absorb if you’re planning any trip – long or short – around the Olympic Peninsula this summer. We’ve placed all the projects in one location: the 2025 Olympic Peninsula Online Open House. You’ll find maps, links to project webpages, detour maps and videos. The projects are sorted by county. There’s also a place to send us questions.
Make sure to take us with you. Download our app. Use it as you journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination.
Bottom line, go explore – have fun – you'll get there. Please watch for our work and the people performing it.
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