Project overview
This project improves habitat and passage for fish in Purdy Creek under State Route 16 and the SR 302 Spur.
Purdy Creek attempts to flow under SR 16 inside a 40-year-old culvert. Many fish species cannot swim through the old culvert. This project will replace the culvert with two 206-foot-long bridge structures. Purdy Creek is home to juvenile Chinook, coho and chum salmon. Adult and juvenile steelhead, coastal cutthroat trout and sculpin are also found in the creek.
Purdy Creek also ran under the SR 302 Spur through an old culvert before it entered the tidal flats of the Burley Lagoon. The culvert was challenging for fish to navigate. During 2023, crews filled in the old culvert and built a 77-foot-long bridge structure to replace it.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates the work at both sites combined will open a total of 6.5 miles of habitat. This work will also help preserve the integrity of the highways and reduce maintenance costs by reducing or eliminating the possibility of culvert blockages.
What to expect
Travelers can expect occasional overnight single-lane closures in the SR 16 work zone near the SR 302 Spur interchange through fall 2024. Eastbound SR 16 lane closures are allowed weeknights from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Lane closures on westbound SR 16 are allowed weeknights from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
This map shows the locations of where old culverts will be removed and replaced with a larger structure that will improve habitat for fish in Purdy Creek.
