SEQUIM — The second of six fish passage projects in the Sequim area is expected to begin Sept. 5.
The first in the $110 million projects was completed after more than five days of around-the-clock construction to improve a fish passageway at Eagle Creek between Blyn and Gardiner. Both lanes of U.S. Highway 101 were fully reopened on the afternoon of Aug. 18.
The recent work on U.S. 101 is the first of six barriers to fish to be removed under the highway.
The six fish passage projects include Eagle Creek, Johnson Creek just east of Sequim, Discovery Creek west of Blyn, an unnamed tributary to Sequim Bay in Blyn, Chicken Coop Road in Blyn, and Contractors Creek east of Gardiner, said Doug Adamson, state Department of Transportation spokesperson.
The Eagle Creek project is part of Washington’s multi-agency Fish Barrier Removal Project following the U.S. District Court’s 2014 order that the state follow 21 Washington tribes’ request to follow a treaty to preserve fish runs by repairing or replacing culverts that negatively affect salmon migration.
Work on the six Sequim-area projects is anticipated to go through fall 2025, according to DOT’s website.
The Eagle Creek closure allowed construction workers to remove a small culvert under the roadway and replace it with a larger concrete box culvert so fish can move more freely through the area during migration, which helps protect and restore salmon runs, the agency reported.
The Blyn-area work began earlier this summer with construction of the temporary one-lane bypass road around the work zone, Adamson said.
“The temporary bypass road was used from the evening of Sunday, Aug. 13 ,to early afternoon Friday, Aug. 18,” he said.
“Construction will continue in the area (as) crews will complete work to get Eagle Creek to flow freely through the culvert.
“Workers will also restore the stream bed to benefit all life cycles of fish.”
Traffic was backed up both ways upwards more than an hour during peak travel times, travelers reported. State officials advised people to plan trips before 8 a.m. and after 8 p.m. for minimal backup.
Dan Orr, interim fire chief with Fire District 3, said volunteer firefighter/medic crews in Diamond Point rescheduled their week to better accommodate the closure in case of an emergency near the area to keep response times minimal.
The State Patrol reported one collision memo at 5:24 p.m. Aug. 18, which happened shortly after the highway completely reopened near Knapp Road.
Troopers reported 44-year-old David Nance of Port Ludlow was transported to Olympic Medical Center after he was involved in a collision. OMC officials said he was treated and discharged.
State Patrol spokesperson Katherine Weatherwax said that a witness told troopers that Nance struck a cone, corrected, and then laid down his bike.
He was charged with driving with wheels off the roadway, she reported.
