Fish passage project on schedule to wrap up this fall
GIG HARBOR – Good news for travelers who use eastbound State Route 16 from Port Orchard to Gig Harbor. During the early morning hours of Saturday, May 11, the new eastbound bridge in Purdy opened to travelers.
The 206-foot-long bridge replaces an old culvert under the highway that blocks fish passage in Purdy Creek. Crews restriped lanes overnight and moved traffic onto the bridge. The speed limit on the highway also returned to the original 60 mph.
Completing the project
With bridge construction complete, crews will remove the temporary lanes that kept people moving through the work zone.
This summer, crews will rebuild the creek bed under the highway. The work will allow fish at all stages of life access to spawning and rearing habitat. Crews expect to wrap up final work by late fall.
SR 302 Spur update
The project also included a new bridge on the SR 302 Spur between Purdy Lane and 144th Street completed last year. This past April, crews returned to pave northbound SR 302. In the next couple of months when the weather allows, they will return to pave the southbound lanes. When this work is complete, a new shared-use path will open on the bridge for people who walk or roll.
The Washington State Department of Transportation thanks travelers for their continued patience as crews work to wrap up this two-year project.
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