POULSBO — Motorists have less than 100 hours remaining until Iverson Street reopens and traffic along State Route 305 returns to its normal flow.

Iverson Street between SR 305 and 8th Avenue has been closed since Sept. 11, but it will become accessible Oct. 15, said Washington State Department of Transportation communications specialist Jamie Swift.

“Everything is going smoothly and Iverson will reopen on time,” Swift said.

The Oct. 15 deadline is critical to the project, because the fish window closes on that day and no work will be permitted on Dogfish Creek. The fish window is the period of time when salmon return to the state’s creeks, streams and rivers to spawn.

Poulsbo Police Chief Jeff Doran said it shouldn’t take long for local motorists to adjust to the change,

“I think it will return to the usual patterns quickly,” Doran said, noting that the department has received a few complaints about increased traffic on Fjord Drive and Harrison Street.

However, going into the closure everyone knew there were going to be some impacts, he said.

“For the magnitude of what’s going on, I’d say it’s been phenomenal,” Doran said of the way the $14.9 million project has progressed.

WSDOT project engineer Jerry Moore said he’d like to thank the residents of Poulsbo for their patience during the Iverson Street closure.

“They’ve taken the traffic challenges in stride and we’re committed to delivering to them a finished product that will improve traffic flow through the area,” Moore said.

Throughout the entire project, the city and its residents have been great to work with as the project has progressed, Moore said.

In return, City Engineer Andrezj Kasiniak said so far everyone in the city has been pleased with the project and the way it has advanced.

The Iverson Street closure is the last of the 2006 construction season, but work will impact the busy Bond Road/SR 305 intersection some time in 2007.