SR 109 Hoquiam to Ocean City – Remove Fish Barriers

Total road closures during summer months

There’s truly no good time for major roadwork on state highways. People rely on the highway for everything from moving freight to getting to their doctors’ appointments. Plus, this construction is done during summer travel and tourism season. 

WSDOT is restricted to a short time during the summer. These kinds of projects have “in-water work windows,” which is the time of year that we’re allowed to do this type of work. This is due to environmental considerations. 

WSDOT will use the ‘get in, get out’ approach. Crews will work to get the work done as quickly as possible. 

During each closure, crews will dig up the entire highway. They'll remove the existing culvert. It will be replaced with a new structure that carries creeks under the highway. Crews then will rebuild the highway. Until all the work is completed, WSDOT will keep people moving with detour routes. 

Program overview

State highways cross rivers and streams in thousands of locations throughout Washington.

Some crossings can impede fish migration.  

Since 1991, WSDOT has worked to improve fish passage and foster healthy waterways. This is done by removing barriers that keep fish and other aquatic species from moving under the state highway.  

Since 2013, WSDOT has worked to follow the requirements of a U.S. District Court injunction to correct barriers to salmon and steelhead.