Replacing a culvert to allow easier passage for spawning salmon will close Highway 9 in the South Fork Valley for several days next month.
A planned closure of Highway 9 between Maleng and Rothenbuhler roads will cut off residents of the foothills communities of Acme and Saxon for four days in late July, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Highway 9 is a trucking route between the Seattle area and British Columbia and sees heavy tourist traffic in summer.
The closure will require a 68-mile detour, WSDOT said.
An exact date for the closure wasn’t set, but WSDOT said in a statement that it was planned for a Monday-Thursday during a single week in mid- to late-July.
Signs will be posted two weeks ahead of the closure.
Occasional shoulder work and single-lane closes may happen before the full shutdown, and at least one lane of the highway will be open after the four-day closure, WSDOT said.
WSDOT has been replacing culverts across Whatcom County and the entire state, partly in response to a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said the state was obligated by treaty with Northwest tribes to restore stream flows that have been restricted by culverts built under state roads and highways.
During this summer’s work, a WSDOT contractor will replace a 30-inch culvert with a 14-foot by 10-foot culvert under Highway 9, on an unnamed tributary to Landingstrip Creek.
Landingstrip Creek flows into the south fork of the Nooksack River and is habitat for several Pacific salmon species, according to the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association.
