Project overview
This project removed barriers to fish passage at four locations where culverts prevented fish from swimming upstream.
Those four locations are: An unnamed tributary to Horseshoe Lake at SR 203 and Northeast Carnation Farm Road north of Carnation; Skunk Creek and an unnamed tributary to Skunk Creek beneath SR 202 and Southeast Fish Hatchery Road near Southeast 46th Street in Fall City; and an unnamed tributary to the Snoqualmie River beneath SR 203 near 324th Way Northeast south of Carnation.
Construction on this fish passage project began in mid-2023. Work was completed in late fall 2025.
What to expect
Major construction on this project is complete. No additional road closures are expected at this time.
An aerial photo showing fish-passable bridges built side-by-side along SR 202 and Southeast Fish Hatchery Road near Fall City. Skunk Creek and a tributary flow beneath the new spans.
Removing fish barriers can deliver impressive benefits, improving fish access for miles up and downstream.
The SR 202/203 fish passage barriers project near Fall City and Carnation builds on our commitment to remove fish barriers on streams that run under state highways.
The four culverts that carry Skunk Creek, an unnamed tributary to Skunk Creek, and two unnamed tributaries to the Snoqualmie River and Horseshoe Lake are too steep for fish and impassable. Replacing them with new fish-passable structures increases the likelihood of fish migration through the Snoqualmie River, Horseshoe Lake and their tributaries. This effort will create thousands of meters worth of potential fish habitat in these waterways.
This benefits commercial seafood operations, recreational fishers, and provides more food for our declining orca population. In addition, replacing these culverts helps us meet our obligation to remove barriers under a 2013 U.S. District Court injunction.
