POULSBO — It’s official. The section of State Route 305 between Forest Rock Lane and Liberty Road is closed and will reopen by 5:30 a.m. Monday.

Crews from Stan Palmer Construction of Port Orchard closed the highway at 8:30 p.m. yesterday to install two new culverts under the highway.

Motorists are being detoured up Forest Rock Hills Lane to 10th Avenue and back to Liberty Road during the closure.

As a result, two Poulsbo police officers will be assigned to Washington State Department of Transportation crews along the detour route, said Poulsbo Police Chief Jeff Doran.

“We’re also going to have two or three officers out patrolling,” Doran said.

Since the closure started after the peak commute time and ends before the Monday morning peak commute time, Doran said its impacts won’t be as severe as they could have been.

“There will still be folks who find their away around the area, but we would like to remind them to slow down, because most of those routes are through residential areas,” he said.

The city managed to survive the resurfacing of the highway 20 years ago, so it will find a way through the widening project, Doran said.

“I really don’t think it will be as bad as people might be afraid of,” Mayor Kathryn Quade said.

There will be some traffic congestion along 10th Avenue and motorists crossing the Kitsap Peninsula will probably feel the greatest impact, she said.

“I ask for people’s patience and they need to allow for extra time traveling,” Quade said.

The Poulsbo Fire Department, which has its headquarters on Liberty Road, is prepared for the potential impacts of the closure, said PFD Chief Jim Shields.

“We’ve talked about it for weeks, and there’s a plan in place,” Shields said.

The department won’t be affected if its crews are answering a call to the south, but traveling north could prove problematic, he said.

“There will be one (police) officer at 10th and Liberty and one at 10th and Forest Rock, so if we were to get an emergency call, we would expect them to help us through,” Shields said, noting that in the event of an emergency call, motorists are asked to be courteous and allow firefighters through.