POULSBO — After driving on the east side of State Route 305 during the Iverson Street closure, motorists will be shifted to the west this week.

The change will allow crews from Stan Palmer Construction of Port Orchard to complete the second half of the eight-foot box culvert at the SR 305/Lincoln Road intersection.

“Traffic flow will remain the same, but it will switch from east to the west,” said Washington State Department of Transportation communications specialist Jamie Swift.

The right-in, right-out travel restrictions will remain at the SR 305/Lincoln Road intersection until the culvert installation is completed, Swift said.

“Oct. 15 is the big day,” he said, referring to the date that the fish window closes and all culvert work in environmentally-sensitive areas must end. “Everything is going smoothly.”

Since Sept. 11, motorists have been forced to find their way around the Iverson Street closure, which shutdown the street between 8th Avenue and State Route 305.

City of Poulsbo Public Works Director Jeff Bauman said even though the shift shouldn’t affect traffic flow, motorists need to pay attention to the change.

“It will take a couple of days for people to get used to it,” Bauman said, adding that often motorists are so accustomed to certain travel routes they don’t notice subtle changes. “My advice is to pay attention.”

Poulsbo Police Chief Jeff Doran echoed Bauman’s driving tip and said it is important that motorists pay extra attention when driving through road work.

“People need to keep their heads up driving through any construction zone,” Doran said.

So far, the police department hasn’t received any complaints about traffic impacts during the road closure, but it remains proactive in its efforts to maintain smooth traffic flows, he said.

“It will be nice to get things back to normal, even if it is just for the winter,” Doran said.