Court order forces state to pick up the pace on major road projects
Aug 11, 2016, 7:48 AM
Culverts, like this one in Woodinville, are being replaced to improve fish passage as mandated by a court ruling. (WSDOT)
(WSDOT)
The state is tearing up major roads across the region this summer to make it easier for salmon to make it back upstream to spawn. It’s a job the state has been doing for years, but it’s also being forced to do more of these projects because of a federal court order.
You’ve probably run into one of these culvert replacement jobs. Last week, the main drag out of Kingston was closed for culvert replacement.
Another culvert project between Kingston and Poulsbo will block Highway 307 for two weeks, starting Sunday. The main road between I-5 and Stanwood will be closed for a week starting tomorrow. And we’re still in the middle of the project in Woodinville.
Related: State taking an unusual approach to culvert replacement in Woodinville
Why so many projects at once, and why now? Paul Wagner, the biology branch manager for the Washington State Department of Transportation has the answers.
Wagner says the state has been working on improving fish passage since the 90’s. Most of that work has been research, including checking the habitat and usage of streams for the nearly 2,000 culverts in the state.
“One of the most common things we see is just a big outfall drop at the downstream end of the culvert,” Wagner explained. The problem is that fish can’t physically make it up because it’s too high.
Another common problem are culverts that are too small, causing the stream gets pushed through too fast for the fish to swim against it.
Twenty-one Washington tribes successfully sued the state to fix these fish passages to ensure their fishing rights, and in 2013 a federal court ruled the state must speed up its efforts.
“The presence of the barriers affect the amount of fish that’s available to them and that is a right secured to them through the treaties,” Wagner said.
The injunction gave the state until 2030 to fix more than 800 culverts. Wagner says they’re trying to get to 30 or 40 of these culverts every year.
“This construction season, right now, we have 20 corrections that are underway,” Wagner said. “That compares to previous years where it may have been five to six barriers corrected per season.”
Dean Moon is the program manager for the fish passage work across the state. He says saving this fish habitat is important, and he hopes inconvenienced drivers understand the need:
“We understand it is an inconvenience and we’re doing our best to minimize those inconveniences,” Moon said. “But, ultimately, we are trying to find the best approach to minimize all impacts and get in and get out and restore traffic back to normal.”
The state set aside more than $80 million in each two-year budget. It totals $640 million through the 2031 biennium.
The state estimates it will cost nearly $2.5 billion to comply with the federal court ruling.
