SR 202 project to improve fish passage along two Sammamish Creek tributaries north of Redmond

Travelers north of Redmond will see five-day full closure of SR 202 in late August followed by single-lane and shoulder closures

REDMOND - Fish traveling along Sammamish Creek north of Redmond are getting a two-for-one special, as a project that began in mid-July corrects barriers to fish passage in two tributaries under State Route 202.

Contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation have begun realigning two channels - High School Creek and an unnamed tributary - into one waterway northeast of the SR 202/Redmond-Woodinville Road Northeast intersection with Northeast 124th Street. The unnamed tributary currently is 67% blocked, while the culvert under SR 202 fully blocks fish movement along High School Creek.

In late August, crews will install a new, 81-foot-by-27-foot three-sided concrete box culvert to channel the combined streams beneath SR 202. Removing the two barriers will open nearly 3.5 miles of native habitat for coho, resident trout, steelhead, sockeye and sea-run cutthroat.

Five-day closure in August

The new culvert will be installed during a five-day closure of SR 202 north of Northeast 124th Street scheduled from 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 25, through noon Friday, Aug. 30. During the closure:

• A signed detour around the closure will use Northeast 124th Street, Interstate 405 and SR 522.
• Travelers should plan additional travel time and prepare for delays between Redmond and Woodinville.
• People walking, bicycling or rolling may use the Sammamish River Trail.

The remaining work will be completed during single-lane and shoulder closures near the SR 202/Northeast 124th Street intersection in September.

Fish passage program

The $6.8 million SR 202 Sammamish Creek Fish Passage project is part of WSDOT's ongoing effort to improve fish passage and reconnect waterways.

WSDOT has worked for nearly three decades to improve fish passage and reconnect streams to help keep waterways healthy. A 2013 federal injunction also directed WSDOT to significantly speed up efforts to replace fish barriers. The culverts along High School Creek and the unnamed tributary are subject to the federal injunction.

New fish-friendly structures are larger, more resilient to change in the landscape and provide long-term fish passage. People can use the WSDOT interactive map to learn about corrected and uncorrected barriers and the injunction boundary.

Real-time travel information is available via the WSDOT mobile app, the WSDOT Travel Center map or by signing up for WSDOT's email updates.

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