SR9 Closed at Lake Creek Between Big Lake and Lake McMurray Starting July 20th

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  Photo: WSDOT

  Starting July 20, 2015, SR 9 will be closed near Lake Creek.  Lake Creek passes through a culvert under State Route 9, North of Milepost 42. This is between Lake McMurray and Big Lake, Located Southeast of Mount Vernon in Skagit County.

• Drivers will have local access on both sides of Lake Creek, but will not be able to cross it. Traffic will detour via SR 534, I-5 and SR 538. Work will be complete in mid-September 2015.
• Why is WSDOT building a bridge on SR 9 at Lake Creek?
  Lake Creek passes through a culvert under State Route 9 north of milepost 42 between Lake McMurray and Big Lake, located southeast of Mount Vernon in Skagit County. In 2013, the U.S. District Court for Western Washington ruled that the state must remove culverts that block fish passage under state roads. The Lake Creek culvert is one of more than 1,000 that are subject to this ruling. Building a 55-foot long bridge to replace the six-foot diameter culvert pipe, which was installed in the early 1950s, will return the creek to a natural state, allowing for better fish passage. A bridge is necessary because the span of the area to be restored is too large for a box culvert.

  What are the challenges to building a bridge over Lake Creek?

  • Closing the highway: WSDOT plans to close the highway at Lake Creek, about 2.3 miles north of SR 534 near Lake McMurray, for about eight weeks for construction. Building a temporary bypass to keep SR 9 open during construction would significantly increase cost of the project and the amount of wetland impacts. Constructing a temporary bypass would add at least three months of work to the project.
  • Keeping traffic moving: While WSDOT will offer the contractor incentives to complete work on the new Lake Creek Bridge early, roughly 1,600 vehicles will be detoured during construction.
  • Working near wetlands: Contractor crews will need to be careful working near and above the creek to keep any construction material and excessive sediment out of the creek and wetlands.
  • Moving utilities: Prior to beginning work on the highway, telephone and fiber optic lines need to be moved. This may require short-term lane closures along SR 9.
  • Project timing: The work needs to be done in July and August because water levels are low then and the work will have the least effect on fish using the creek.

  What should drivers expect? 
  To build the bridge and remove the culvert, SR 9 will be closed on both sides of Lake Creek north of milepost 42, between Lake McMurray and Big Lake, for about eight weeks in July and August 2015. A signed detour via I-5 will be in place that will add up to 30 minutes to trips, depending on the destination. Local access near Lake Creek will be available.

  How will this work be performed? 
  WSDOT contractor crews will dig up and remove the culvert, then build a bridge over Lake Creek. Crews also will create a new creek bed to match the existing one on either side of the highway, and they’ll restore the banks with native plants.

  The End Result
  Building a bridge to replace the Lake Creek culvert will help restore the creek bed to a natural state and improve fish passage for salmon and steelhead, in compliance with the U.S. District Court ruling.

  Project Benefits

  • This project will improve fish passage and open up additional salmon and steelhead habitat.
  • The work will help WSDOT comply with the U.S. District Court ruling regarding fish passage.

  What is the project timeline?
  February 2015: Project will be advertised for competitive bidding.
  March 2015: Bid opening and contractor selection.
  July 2015: Construction will begin.
  October 2015: Construction will be completed.

  Financial Information

  Financial Data for PIN 100930K

  Funding Source Amount ($ in thousands) 2003 Gas Tax (Nickel Funding) $0 2005 Gas Tax (TPA) $0 Pre-Existing Funds (PEF) $2,501 Total $2,501

  Project signage will reflect the cost of construction engineering, project bid award and sales tax.

  How can I get more information?
  Contact:
  Contact:
  Shane Spahr
  WSDOT Project Engineer
  Phone: 360-757-5856
  Email: spahrs@wsdot.wa.gov

This Press release information was obtained via the WSDOT  website.