Culvert replacement will close SR 900 between Renton and Issaquah July 28-31

By
VOICE of the Valley
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A weekend detour for drivers on State Route 900 between Renton and Issaquah later this month will make it easier for fish to move through Green Creek.

Contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will close SR 900 west of 164th AvenueSoutheast at 7 p.m. Friday, July 28. The highway will reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, July 31.

When the highway is closed, Marshbank Construction will replace an old, 4-foot by 3-foot culvert with a 16-foot wide, 10-foot tall culvert. The new structure will allow crews to build a more natural creek bed under the highway, making it easier for fish to travel up and down stream.

About 10,000 vehicles use this portion of SR 900 daily, so it will be important for drivers to plan ahead and expect weekend travel delays while crews are working.

During the July 28-31 closure

  • SR 900 will be closed to through traffic between 164th Avenue Southeast and Duvall Avenue Northeast.
  • Local access will allowed, but no one will be able to go through the work zone, located about a quarter-mile west of 164th Avenue Southeast.
  • A signed detourwill be in place.

Replacing the culvert

Green Creek is more than 25 feet below SR 900. Crews will remove about 100 feet of the highway near the creek and dig down about 30 feet, then place the new culvert. Once that’s finished, they’ll fill in the hole, repave the highway and replace the guardrail.

After SR 900 reopens, drivers should expect single lane closures for utility work during August. Crews will also add native vegetation and create a more natural creek bed with rocks and other material inside the culvert.

Improving fish passage

This $2.2 million project is part of WSDOT’s effort to comply with a 2013 U.S. District Court injunction that requires WSDOT to replace culverts under state highways if they pose a barrier to fish passage. The state is required to fix or replace about 475 culverts across Western Washington by 2030.

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