In a bid to support the local ecosystem, contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) have taken initiative to consolidate two tributaries beneath State Route 202, near Redmond, into one fluid passage for the migration of various fish species. The project, which kicked off in mid-July, addresses blockage issues in High School Creek and an unnamed tributary that have curtailed fish movements, according to a news release.
Speeding to restore natural harmony, the work involves the installation of a large 81-foot-by-27-foot three-sided concrete box culvert designed to allow the merged streams to run unimpeded beneath SR 202. This structural change promises to reopen nearly 3.5 miles of spawning and living habitat to coho, resident trout, steelhead, sockeye, and sea-run cutthroat. However, the installation process requires a temporary hiatus in traffic flow along SR 202 for a span of five days starting Sunday, August 25.
During this brief closure period, travelers will be rerouted via a signed detour that utilizes Northeast 124th Street, Interstate 405, and SR 522. Consequently, transit times are expected to inflate between the neighboring cities of Redmond and Woodinville. For the non-motorized commuters among us, the Sammamish River Trail remains open to people walking, bicycling, or rolling, offering a picturesque albeit indirect route.
That said, patience among travelers will likely need just as much to be channeled as those waterways beneath the road. Post-culvert installation, the project calls for completion with additional, albeit less disruptive, single-lane and shoulder closures near the SR 202/Northeast 124th Street intersection through September. The promise of revitalized natural waterways, teaming with the flicker and dart of aquatic life, awaits on the other side of this temporary inconvenience.
