Two fish-passable structures to be installed beneath SR 9 in Skagit County beginning in July

Work includes seven-day closure of highway near Mount Vernon

MOUNT VERNON - Salmon, steelhead and other aquatic species and wildlife soon will have access to nearly 2 more miles of natural habitat to spawn and mature along two tributaries in Skagit County.

On June 29, the Washington State Department of Transportation will begin a project to remove culverts that block fish migration along two tributaries that run beneath State Route 9. The project will install new fish-passable structures and rebuild natural creek beds along an unnamed tributary to Nookachamps Creek (milepost 49) east of Mount Vernon and an unnamed tributary to Hansen Creek north of Sedro-Woolley (milepost 59).

Interwest Construction Inc. of Burlington has been selected as contractor for the $5.7 million project. Work will happen at both sites at the same time and the project is expected to finish in mid-October.

Tributary to Nookachamps Creek

A seven-day closure of both directions of SR 9 currently scheduled to begin in early August will allow for most of the work to install a new 20-foot box culvert at the Nookachamps site south of Mount Vernon Big Lake Road.

The detour during the closure will use SR 534, Interstate 5 and SR 538/College Way in both directions around the closure point. The detour could add up to 25 miles, and people should allow extra time to get to their destinations.

Remaining work will be completed using daytime and nighttime lane reductions, with northbound and southbound SR 9 traffic alternating through a single lane.

Correcting this barrier will restore about a mile of natural habitat for bull trout, coho salmon, resident trout and steelhead. The existing culvert does not allow any fish passage.

Tributary to Hansen Creek

Primary work to remove the culvert along the tributary to Hanson Creek south of Kalloch Road will occur during a 42-day continuous lane reduction of SR 9. Temporary traffic signals will alternate northbound and southbound SR 9 traffic 24 hours a day through a single-lane bypass road beginning in early July. People traveling through the area should expect delays, especially during busier travel times.

Most fish cannot pass through the current culvert. The new 18-foot box culvert will restore about a mile of natural habitat for coho, resident trout, steelhead and sea-run cutthroat that are native to the area.

WSDOT's fish passage program

WSDOT has worked for nearly three decades to improve fish passage and reconnect streams to help keep waterways healthy. A 2013 federal injunction also directed WSDOT to significantly speed up efforts to remove barriers to fish migration. The tributaries to Nookachamps and Hansen creeks are included in the injunction.

New fish-friendly structures are larger, more resilient to change in the landscape and provide long-term fish passage. People can use the WSDOT interactive map to learn about corrected and uncorrected barriers and the injunction boundary.