Thurston County will close this part of the Chehalis Western Trail for two months
EDITOR’S NOTE: The location of the closed portion of the trail has been corrected since this story was first published.
About 1.5 miles of the Chehalis Western Trail will be closed from July 14 to Sept. 15, according to a Thurston County news release.
The county’s Public Works Department will close the trail between 89th Avenue Southeast and 103rd Avenue to complete a new 88-foot trail bridge and overlook above Spurgeon Creek, according to the release.
“We try to avoid closures along the trail during summer months,” said project manager Marcus Storvick in the release. “However, this project requires in-water work where spawning fish are present in the fall. That means we have a limited window to complete construction this summer.”
The entire Chehalis Western Trail runs about 21 miles from the Woodard Bay Conservation Area on Henderson Inlet to the Yelm to Tenino Trail just southwest of Rainier, according to a county map.
All through traffic will be affected in the closed portion of the trail, the release says. The county is asking all trail users to alter their routes during the temporary closure.
The 88-foot bridge is part of a $2 million project to restore about one mile of habitat that has been blocked to spawning fish since the 1920s, according to a project website.
Another part of the project involves building a 57-foot bridge over Latigo Street Southeast. Both bridges will replace culverts under Latigo Street and the trail, the website says.
Spurgeon Creek, a tributary of the Deschutes River, flows underneath Latigo Street Southeast and the trail. Culverts that currently divert the creek have blocked spawning fish from accessing upstream habitat, according to the website.
In addition to the bridges, the county plans to enhance the stream bed along the length of the project to improve fish passage, per the website.
When construction begins in July, the county says drivers on Latigo Street can expect alternating single-lane traffic to slow travel.
The project is funded by a $1.7 million grant from the Washington State Conservation Office Brian Abbot Fish Barrier Removal Board, according to the release. Additionally, the county says it’s contributing $300,000 in local real estate excise tax revenue.
Update: the location of where the trail will be closed was updated for accuracy.
This story was originally published July 8, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
