PORT ANGELES — Westbound traffic will be routed over the new Bagley Creek bridge on U.S. Highway 101 between Port Angeles and Sequim as early as Thursday.
The contractor plans to finish paving and striping Thursday so the lanes can be opened Thursday, weather permitting, said Tina Werner, state Department of Transportation (DOT) spokesperson, on Wednesday.
The shift will allow contractor crews space to continue construction work to open habitat for migratory fish species, DOT said on its website.
“This shift allows our crews to complete median work and other tasks, including construction of the new eastbound bridge over Bagley Creek,” said Project Engineer Dan McKernan.
The following week, the eastbound lanes also will shift to the new structure, DOT said.
This temporary configuration will be in place until late this year.
A reduced speed limit will be in place. DOT has said that the temporary 45 mph speed limit will remain in effect through the fall, when the project is expected to be completed.
The $35.6 million project is replacing five defective fish culverts with two full-span bridges or larger concrete-box culverts to improve fish migration in Bagley and Siebert creeks and their tributaries.
The two-year project is part of DOT’s ongoing effort to improve fish passage under state or federal highways. Bagley and Siebert creeks support chinook and coho salmon, steelhead and bull trout.
DOT is under a 2013 federal court injunction to remove state-owned culverts that impede salmon migration in much of Western Washington by 2030.
DOT’s Fish Barrier Removal Program identifies and removes barriers to fish caused by culverts under state highways.
Real-time traveler information is available via the Washington State Department of Transportation mobile app and regional travel alerts webpage.
