The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) says work on its fish passage project in Grays Harbor County is going swimmingly – literally.
WSDOT has been working to remove five outdated culverts along US 12 and State Route 8 and restore fish runs. This week, crews say some coho salmon fry are already using the passage site near McCleary.
Last summer, crews removed a culvert near Mox Chehalis Creek that prevented fish from swimming under the highway. They replaced it with a large concrete box that allows fish access to a bigger habitat.
“It may not seem like much, but this small stream is clearly important to the ecosystem, as we can see that salmon are spawning in it,” WSDOT says.
Good news for drivers, too
The project was projected to take about two years to complete, but WSDOT says it hopes to have work finished early in all five locations:
US 12
- MP 12.36 – Camp Creek
- MP 17.56 – Unnamed Tributary to Wenzel Slough
- MP 19.17 – Unnamed Tributary to Vance Creek
SR 8
- MP 3.16 – Unnamed Tributary to Wildcat Creek
- MP 9.10 – Unnamed Tributary to Mox Chehalis Creek
“Since our contractor, Cecannti, Inc., was able to complete all the stream work in one summer, we are able to start opening lanes early,” WSDOT says.
As of May 19, traffic is now back to its original configuration with two lanes in each direction at Camp Creek in Montesano and the Mox Chehalis Creek tributary east of McCleary.
WSDOT says there will still be some daytime weekday lane closures while crews finish landscaping.
Crews also have to remove the large temporary light poles. Once that happens, the speed limit reduction will go away at those two sites.
As for the other three sites? WSDOT expects work to be completed in the fall.
Until then, drivers can expect around-the-clock lane closures. The speed limit will remain 50 mph approaching Elma in both directions.
Drivers can expect temporary changes to the roadway and some rolling slowdowns.
One lane will remain open in each direction while crews pave and stripe the other lanes.
WSDOT has also moved the Queue Warning System closer to the remaining work zones approaching Elma. It uses sensors to detect traffic backups and then displays messages on an electronic sign, letting drivers know what to do as they approach the work zone.
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