POULSBO — Part of the improvements to the south fork of Dogfish Creek should be completed by the end of the week, marking a hallmark for the State Route 305 widening project.
Crews from Stan Palmer Construction of Port Orchard should have water flowing back into the section of the creek between Schuck’s Auto Supply and Forest Rock Lane as early as today and most likely by Friday, said Washington State Department of Transportation construction supervisor George Titterness.
“This will be a milestone for the project. In two years, people should have a good idea as to what it will be like,†Titterness said.
City Engineer Andrzej Kasiniak said it appears that all of the time-sensitive components of the project are on schedule.
“We are very pleased with the progress of the project — it’s so far, so good,†Kasiniak said.
Currently, water flowing into the creek near Schuck’s is being pumped to project’s wetland mitigation site along with all of the other water from the project site, Titterness said.
The most visible part of the project is at the SR 305/Iverson Street intersection as an eight-foot box culvert is being installed under the highway.
“We’re replacing a 24-inch culvert with a much salmon-friendlier structure,†Titterness said, noting that the culvert is a part of the south fork of Dogfish Creek.
Before the project began several six- to eight-inch trout were collected in a fish net across the culvert, he said.
Titterness said the culvert should be in place before Oct. 15, when the fish window closes.
Just to the east of the SR 305/Iverson Street intersection another fish-friendly culvert will be installed as a 10-foot diameter galvanized steel structure will be placed near the Iverson Street/8th Avenue intersection.
Once both culverts are completed, the steel pilings, which currently support the highway will be removed, he said.
After the fish window closes, crews will work on two retaining walls on the east side of the highway between Schuck’s and just south of the business park near Bond Road, Titterness said.
So far, WSDOT hasn’t received many complaints about the impacts of the project, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t want to hear them, said WSDOT spokesman Jamie Swift.
“We want people to tell us if they are having any problems,†Swift said.
Local residents have an intimate knowledge of the area and are more aware of impacts than people who don’t live in the area, he said.
“If there are any problems just let us know. So far the public has been great,†Swift said.