Travelers should plan for lane reductions, delays Aug. 13-18 between Gardner and Sequim
SEQUIM – A multi-year project that will correct six culverts under US 101 in Jefferson and Clallam counties to improve fish passage and migration in the area is now underway.
The week of July 10, construction crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will begin mobilizing equipment into a work zone on US 101 between Diamond Point/Chicken Coop Road and Guilles Road/Knapp Road at Eagle Creek in Clallam County.
From July until mid-August, travelers will see occasional daytime one-way alternating traffic on US 101 at milepost 274.2, followed by a week-long around the clock reduction to a single lane.
Aug. 13-18, plan for delays and backups on US 101
From 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13 through the evening of Friday, Aug. 18, US 101 will be reduced to one-lane of alternating traffic at the Eagle Creek culvert site.
Travelers will want to plan ahead to help prevent delays. With one travel lane of US 101 closed, drivers will see increased congestion approaching the work zone. To help reduce backups during this week-long lane reduction, travelers can:
- Add up to 90 minutes of extra travel time to help prevent delays.
- Consider postponing discretionary trips.
- Travel early in the morning or later at night, especially on Monday, Thursday and Friday.
- Carpool, use transit or telework if possible.
No detour route is available during this work. Signs will be posted for local access only on nearby county roads.
WSDOT recognizes the inconvenience this will create and has worked to reduce overall traffic disruptions. This type of work in waterways can only be done during certain timeframes in the summer to ensure fish and habitat aren’t unduly disturbed.
Eagle Creek is the first of six streams or tributaries that crews will correct under US 101 between Gardner and Sequim during the next two years. The $109 million dollar project is anticipated to finish in late 2025.
The work is part of WSDOT’s ongoing effort to remove barriers to fish under state highways. The work removes items such as too-small culverts under roadways to allow fish to move more freely through the area during migration, which helps protect and restore salmon runs, the landscape and the economy.