Daytime single-lane closures with alternating traffic start July 8
GRANITE FALLS – A new project beginning Monday, July 8, will help re-establish fish habitat in the Pilchuck River along State Route 92 near Granite Falls. This work replaces previous woody debris that washed away with a more permanent solution.
Contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will build log jacks, or groups of four to six logs tied together in a pyramid with an anchor in the middle. The log jacks will be placed along a bend in the Pilchuck River near SR 92 to create natural habitat for fish to rest and hide, increasing fish survival rates as they move through the river.
The work will require approximately 10 weeks of daytime shoulder and single-lane closures, with flaggers alternating SR 92 traffic on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. south of Sleepy Hollow Road. People traveling through the area also may see short delays while trucks hauling material enter and exit the roadway.
Protecting SR 92 and fish habitat
The Pilchuck River severely eroded its banks in 2009 south of Granite Falls near SR 92. Over the next few years, a house was swept away by the river and SR 92 was within 40 feet of being undermined.
In 2016, WSDOT temporarily rerouted the river to shore up the riverbank and added large pieces of wood in the river to create fish habitat. In the years since, the work successfully protected SR 92, but much of woody debris placed for fish washed away. The log jacks will more permanently rebuild the fish habitat.
Long-term solution
This area along SR 92 is part WSDOT’s chronic environmental deficiencies work, which takes place at sites statewide where frequent highway maintenance repairs affect fish habitat. In these cases projects are specially designed to reduce or eliminate the need for ongoing maintenance activities while protecting or enhancing fish habitat.
The log jacks will be placed in the Pilchuck River in August, when work in the water can take place without harming fish, and the project should complete work in fall 2024.
Project and schedule updates will be available on the project webpage, WSDOT’s Travel Center map, the WSDOT mobile app and by signing up for Snohomish County email updates.