MARROWSTONE ISLAND — For the first time in at least six decades, crystal clear water is flowing from Oak Bay into Kilisut Harbor’s Scow Bay, between Marrowstone and Indian islands, thanks in large part to the efforts of the North Olympic Salmon Coalition.
“All weekend, community members paddled back and forth between the two bays, and there is tell of the first circumnavigation of Marrowstone by a local father and son,” the Port Hadlock-based environmental nonprofit wrote in a Monday post on its Facebook page.
Since at least 1958, the channel has been blocked by a buildup of sediment, not to mention state Highway 116 that connects the two islands. Now, that land bridge is history. In its place sits a nearly complete 440-foot concrete girder bridge.
The reconnection of the two long-separated bodies of water represents the culmination of a multi-year effort by the coalition to restore not only a historic migration route for endangered salmon but also the marine ecosystem of Kilisut Harbor, which has suffered from elevated temperatures and stagnant, sediment-filled water.
“The water before construction began was pretty dirty,” said Tina Werner, state Department of Transportation spokeswoman, “and, as of last weekend, the water flowing through is crystal clean.”
The bridge itself remains restricted to one-way alternating traffic. Construction of approaches on either side, plus striping and the addition of signage, is all that remains to be done before the nearly $13 million project is complete — likely in late September — and the scenic stretch of the highway is opened to two-way traffic.
“It will be very exciting for Marrowstone Island travelers to have the bridge fully open once again,” Werner said, noting that, while construction itself has taken a little more than a year, procurement of permits and funding took nearly seven years.
The coalition came up with the lion’s share — nearly $10 million — while the state pitched in $2 million and the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe added another $1 million by way of a NOAA Restoration Center grant.
_______
Jefferson County reporter Nicholas Johnson can be reached by email at njohnson@peninsuladailynews.com.
