Culvert removal means 8-month road closure, 6.5 miles of new Pierce County fish habitat
Part of a project to remove Purdy Creek fish barriers begins in April.
The Washington State Department of Transportation will remove an old culvert barrier in Purdy Creek under state Route 302 (Purdy Drive) that is challenging for fish to swim through.
WSDOT crews will replace the old culvert with a new 77-foot-long bridge structure, according to WSDOT officials.
The project is expected to take eight months.
“Wildlife biologists estimate this work will create approximately 6.5 miles of new habitat for fish,” WSDOT officials said in a news release.
“Purdy Creek is home to native fish species including juvenile Chinook, coho, and chum salmon,” the news release said. “Adult and juvenile steelhead, coastal cutthroat and sculpin are also found in the creek and nearby Burley Lagoon.”
With weather permitting, all travelers will need to detour starting April 2 via Purdy Lane Northwest and 144th Street Northwest, she said. That part of Purdy Drive will be closed.
Students at Peninsula High School use the shoulder on Purdy Lane as a parking overflow option.
S.A.V.E Thrift Store on Purdy Lane has six parking spots out front. Customers visiting the store also use the shoulder along Purdy Lane as a parking overflow option.
During the work drivers will not be allowed to park on Purdy Lane.
Work is expected to be done by the end of this year. Once work is completed, parking restrictions will be removed, Cochran said.
The removal of fish barriers under state Route 302 is just one part of the project.
This portion of the project was supposed to begin in the fall of 2022 but was put on hold after a delay in obtaining materials, Angela Cochran, communications consultant for the Washington State Department of Transportation, told the Gateway.
The other portion of the project consists of two other culvert barriers in Purdy Creek that are currently being removed under state Route 16. This work began in the fall of 2022.
These two culverts are between mile post 17 and 18, where the creek meets state Route 16.
They are both 40-year-old fish barriers, being replaced with large bridge structures that are 206 feet long to improve the fish habitat in the creek, Cochran said.
The state Route 16 culvert removals should be complete in the fall of 2024, Cochran said.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article misstated the timeline of the culvert removal projects in Purdy Creek. Work was scheduled to start in the fall of 2022 on the state Route 302 and state Route 16 projects. Work to remove the culvert under state Route 302 was delayed until April 2, 2023. Work to remove two culverts under state Route 16 started in the fall of 2022. The article has also been updated to clarify the nature of the SR 16 projects. They will replace the culverts with large bridge structures.
This story was originally published March 30, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
