Beginning mid-August, residents may notice crews working from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Anti-Aircraft Creek culvert along Newport Way Northwest. The work will replace sediment material within the Anti-Aircraft Creek culvert and make a few minor structural modifications outside of the culvert.
Minimal construction traffic can be anticipated while crews work, but no road closures or impacts to Newport Way Northwest are expected during this month-long restoration.
The City installed the Anti-Aircraft Creek culvert in 2017 to reduce flooding and sediment deposit over the roadway, and improve fish passage and habitat. After the 2018 wet season, some of the stream bed sediment material that was installed inside the culvert had been displaced, due to a variety of reasons: an unusually long culvert, steep headwaters and the steep gradient of the culvert.
The City is collaborating with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and a design consultant to anchor stream bed sediment within the culvert to slow stream velocities and reduce the likelihood of the stream bed washing out in the future.
In the original design of the culvert, anchors were not allowed due to the belief they could be a detriment to the fish migration. Now, after observing the behavior of the stream and the fish through the culvert for one year, the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife is requiring these anchors to be added in order to retain the sediment within the culvert.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this project, please contact
Senior Engineer Matt Ellis at 425-837-3410.