(The Center Square) – So far, federal funding remains intact for a major project to remove four fish barriers within the Olympic Peninsula.
The project will remove and replace three outdated culverts under U.S. 101 in the Port Angeles area and one along State Route 116 in Port Hadlock-Irondale. These sites were identified by the Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife as barriers to salmon migration and other resident fish species.
The Washington State Department of Transportation will replace the outdated culverts at these locations with new structures that intend to help improve fish migration.
The $146 million project includes federal funding. There are no signs that money will be rescinded by the administration of President Donald Trump.
The state is still processing a recent memo from Trump that directs federal departments to “temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance.”
Last week, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. warned that the federal funding freeze could impact wildlife preservation work and culvert replacement projects.
The fish barrier removal project was awarded in August 2023 to Kiewit Infrastructure West.
The three culvert locations being corrected under U.S. 101 are funded through the Connecting Washington and Move Ahead Washington transportation packages, which were approved by the state legislature.
The SR 116 culvert location is funded by a mix of state and federal America Rescue Plan Act funds.
WSDOT Communications Manager Cara Mitchell told The Center Square that the ARPA funds are considered fully obligated and are “as certain and committed as they can be at this point.”
“We continue to work with and seek clarity from federal officials about funding,” Mitchell said in an email.
Construction on the culverts is set to begin on Feb. 24. Completion of the four culvert removals and replacement is expected to take two years. Work along Chimacum and Tumwater Creeks will only take one year. However, there will be long-term road closures with detours to shorten the overall timeline of the project.
