I have watched the Matriotti Creek project on U.S. Highway 101 near Carlsborg.
The state Department of Transportation project information website confirmed what I had read and heard.
The project replaces “the existing 5-foot diameter steel culvert that carries Matriotti Creek under US 101 [which] is a barrier to fish passage.
“Replacing the culvert with a much larger box culvert, measuring 10 feet high by 19 feet wide, will remove the existing barrier and open potential fish habitat.”
I agree with the necessity to encourage more salmon and steelhead spawning areas.
The state only made one small mistake.
I went over there Sunday and there is no water in Matriotti Creek.
So unless fish learn to walk, they will not be able to pass under the highway or go up the ditch.
Seems like a bit of waste to this observer.
The good news is — according to the DOT — it only cost $2,728,000.
Joe Sauve,
Sequim