PORT ANGELES — WSDOT updated Clallam County commissioners this week on highway improvements and fish barrier projects.
Steve Roark, Olympic regional administrator, said crews will begin removing fish barriers on Highway 101 at Tumwater, Ennis, and Lee creeks.
Work on Tumwater Creek starts early next year.
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“In the case of Tumwater Creek, we expect to start work in January. We can do this work under a full closure, kind of ‘get in and get out’. This closure is going to start in March. I don’t have an exact date yet, but we will soon start in March running through May,” said Roark.
The work will eventually close the highway entirely, with traffic detoured through downtown Port Angeles via the Truck Route.
Also next year, the Ennis and Lee creek projects will start. Those will take about two years, potentially snarling traffic on the east side of Port Angeles.
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“Work is slated to start in February. It’s going to be a two-year project since the work is being done half at a time. So with the new bridge structure, we’re going to build one half and then shift traffic and build the other half,” said Roark. “The good news is we have modified the way that work will be constructed. So that will maintain two lanes of traffic in each direction at all times. I still would anticipate some amount of delays as you move through those work areas.”
Roark also announced a $9.7 million project for State Highway 112, set to start next summer, focusing on guardrails, slopes, signage, and culvert improvements between mileposts 0 and 7.
A $25 million NOAA grant will fund shoreline stabilization and highway grade adjustments along Highway 112 between mileposts 0 and 17. Five planning studies will also assess emergency access to Neah Bay, hydrologic issues at the Hoko River, and realignment options for the Pysht River, Jim Creek, and Sumas Pass.
WSDOT is gathering public input on possible roundabouts for U.S. Highway 101 between Port Angeles and Sequim after completing predesign work.