SEQUIM – A multi-year effort to restore salmon habitat along US 101 has reached a major milestone, with crews completing the last phase of construction between Sequim and Gardiner. The Washington State Department of Transportation announced that work to remove fish barriers at six locations is now substantially finished.
The improvements, part of a statewide program to reopen historic waterways, replaced aging culverts with new bridges and stream structures that allow fish to move freely beneath the highway.
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The estimated $144.8 million project balanced the need for keeping people moving while excavating entire sections of the highway.
Construction began in the summer of 2023 at Eagle Creek near Gardiner and gradually expanded to five additional sites across Jefferson and Clallam counties. At each location, outdated pipes that restricted salmon migration were removed.
Crews removed aging culverts that fish could not navigate at a total of six locations. Replacing these outdated culverts with new structures opens up a combined 15 miles of potential habitat for fish.
To keep traffic flowing on the busy coastal corridor, WSDOT built temporary detours alongside the work zones.
The Washington State Department of Transportation kept people moving during the work by building temporary two-lane bypass roads.
While people used the bypass roads, crews dug through the roadway in each location. At five locations, workers built new bridges. The sixth location received a larger culvert. The project also included rebuilding streams to help fish at all life cycles.
The project is tied to decades of efforts to address declining salmon runs and comply with federal court requirements aimed at protecting tribal fishing rights.
The work is part of WSDOT’s commitment to remove barriers to fish under state highways. Since 1991, WSDOT has worked to improve fish passage and foster healthy waterways by removing barriers under the highway. In addition to WSDOT’s ongoing work to correct statewide barriers, a 2013 federal court injunction requires the state to correct barrier culverts to salmon and steelhead within the injunction area in western Washington.
Environmental groups and tribal nations have long argued that small highway culverts can act like dams, preventing fish from reaching upstream spawning grounds. The newly installed bridges are designed to mimic natural channels, allowing water, sediment and wildlife to move more naturally.
Crews rebuilt streambeds at each location. Workers installed logs and root wads in the stream. Both provide refuge and resting areas for fish. Native plants were also installed.
The plants provide important nutrients and shade. Workers finished landscaping and final touches in mid-December.
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Biologists say these features are essential for young salmon, offering slower water, cooler temperatures and places to hide from predators.
Although the heavy construction is complete, a small amount of follow-up work is still ahead.
When the weather is warm and dry enough, crews will return to make a repair to the roadway near Blyn. Until that time, travelers are encouraged to reduce their speed to 35 mph in the Blyn area near Chicken Coop Road.
For the most up-to-date information, check the WSDOT app and statewide travel map.
US 101 is the primary east-west route on the northern Olympic Peninsula, serving commuters, freight traffic and tourism. Local leaders said the project demonstrates that infrastructure upgrades can support both mobility and environmental recovery.
By reopening 15 miles of streams, the work is expected to benefit Chinook, coho and steelhead populations that are culturally and economically significant to the region.
WSDOT officials noted that similar projects are underway across western Washington as the agency works to meet court-ordered deadlines over the next decade.
Originally reported by Washington State Of Department Of Transportation.
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