The ramp from eastbound SR 16 to eastbound SR 166, or Bay Street, will be closed at 9 p.m. tonight (July 22) while crews continue a culvert installation at that location, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.

In early July, following a total closure of SR 166, WSDOT reopened access from eastbound SR 16 to eastbound SR 166. Westbound SR 166 has remained closed. WSDOT officials said they started observing some motorists making an unsafe and illegal maneuver to avoid using a signed detour to save time.

When alerted to this driving behavior, WSDOT traffic engineers considered what alternatives could be employed to prevent the behavior. They came to the conclusion that reinstating a total closure was the only practical solution. The total closure of SR 166 at SR 16 will remain in place through the first week of August.

Both lanes of westbound SR 16 have been shifted through the highway median, WSDOT said. The speed limit on westbound SR 16 has been reduced from 60 mph to 40 mph.

In mid-August, the third phase of culvert construction will begin, during which time Anderson Hill Road will be closed to all traffic for up to four weeks.

The culvert work under way is part of WSDOT’s Fish Passage Barrier Removal Program, which identifies and removes barriers to fish passages caused by culverts under state highways. The current 5-foot-diameter culverts are being replaced with 18-foot-wide concrete box culverts.

For more information, visit the WSDOT website at: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR16/andersoncreekfishbarriers/default.htm