By Pepper Fisher

PORT ANGELES – The first of several culvert replacement projects in the Port Angeles area is set to begin in 2 weeks along Highway 101 at Indian Creek just west of the Elwha River Bridge. The culvert there has impeded the movement of salmon and other fish from traveling upstream for many years.

WSDOT’s project to replace that culvert will mean a lower speed limit and a temporary traffic signal for a while. A crew is scheduled to begin work on Monday, Feb. 7, building a shoo-fly, or temporary bypass road to keep traffic moving. When the shoo-fly opens to travelers in early spring, crews will remove the existing culvert and replace it with a 180-foot concrete girder bridge for improved fish migration.

The project is slated to wrap up in spring of 2023. Other culvert projects to begin this year are at Ennis Creek, Lees Creek and Tumwater Creek.