A stretch of road in northwest Thurston County may be replaced with a multi-million-dollar bridge to better protect the area and allow safe fish passage.
Public Works completed emergency repairs on a collapsing culvert under Country Club Road in November. Now, county officials are weighing permanent solutions for the road where it intersects with Green Cove Creek.
Last week, staff briefed the Board of County Commissioners on four options: abandoning the road, replacing the road with a pedestrian bridge accessible to emergency vehicles, building a large open-bottom culvert or constructing a road bridge.
Each option could affect dozens of nearby homes, emergency response times, utility services and traffic in different ways. Staff recommended the board approve the road bridge option, which they estimated would cost the county about $8.8 million.
Commissioners Carolina Mejia and Tye Menser signaled their openness to that option but requested a thorough financial strategy before moving forward. Commissioner Gary Edwards was excused from the meeting.
Whatever the board ultimately decides, the county has to complete the project by end of 2024. To repair the culvert, the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife granted the county a conditional emergency permit.
The permit requires the county to replace the temporary pipe it put in place with a fully fish-passable structure, according to county documents. Failure to do so could prompt legal action from the WDFW, other agencies or groups.
The Stakes
Public Works staff first noticed the 5-foot-diameter culvert had started to collapse in late 2021, said Public Works engineer Scott Lindblom. At that point, he said it had collapsed about 12 inches since the prior inspection in 2019.
"The worst fear would have been a complete collapse of that culvert either before or during the wet season," Lindblom said. "We looked at taking a proactive approach and really emphasizing public safety."
The 114-foot-long culvert was built in the early 1970s and sits at the bottom of a 50-foot road embankment made of about 35,000 cubic yards of soil. If the culvert collapsed, Lindblom said the water level would have risen over the road and potentially caused the embankment to collapse.
"If that embankment would have collapsed, we would have sent gravel, sand, debris, construction, asphalt and other debris down, scouring out Green Cove Creek for a half mile, sending sediment down into Puget Sound," he said.
In addition to impacting traffic, he said that scenario would have left 65 homes without water, power, gas or telephone services.
When considering a permanent solution, staff reached out to the WDFW, the Squaxin Island tribe, Thurston Public Utility District (PUD), Emergency Services and local homeowners for input.
The original culvert was not created with fish passage in mind, so whatever the county builds must improve conditions for fish and other wildlife.
The state requires the culvert be replaced with a stream channel at least 50-feet wide, according to county documents.
The Four Options
Abandoning the road and removing the embankment would cost the county about $2.7 million and most likely return the area to its natural conditions, county documents show.
However, it would cost the PUD about $1.1 million to $2.2 million to reconnect homes to its services.
This option would make commutes longer for residents. Response times for emergency services also could increase from 10-13 minutes depending on the location of the call, the county calculates.
Given these factors, the documents show the PUD, Emergency Services and homeowners are opposed to this option.
Building a pedestrian bridge would cost the county around $6.8 million and the PUD between $225,000 and $500,000. With this option, the embankment also would be removed.
Emergency services would be able to use the pedestrian bridge if necessary, so response times would only increase by about 45 seconds. No other vehicle access would be allowed.
Local homeowners are opposed to this option, according to the documents.
A large open bottom culvert would cost the county about $9.1 million and the PUD about $225,000-$500,000, the documents show. This option would not change driving patterns and emergency response times.
Only the Squaxin Island Tribe opposes this plan.
Lastly, the road bridge would cost the county $8.8 million and the PUD about $225,000-$500,000, making it the second most expensive option.
This option also would involve removing the embankment, but it would not impact driving patterns and emergency response times.
All surveyed stakeholders would support this option, the documents show.
Looking Ahead
Each of these options could reasonably be completed by the end of 2024 and the cost estimates account for some inflation, Lindblom said. The challenge for the county will be in creating a funding strategy.
Public Works is actively applying for grants to cover the cost of the project, Lindblom said. However, the county may ultimately have to use its own funds as well.
Lindblom recommended the board opt for the road bridge option because it had the most support and would likely best serve the county in the long run. He said he expects population growth in this area over the coming years.
"Trying to plan for a transportation system that provides a robust road network for that growth will be challenging," Lindblom said. "We're looking into our crystal ball to estimate what that might be and the best way to serve all those folks that will be coming."
Commissioner and Board Chair Mejia said she supports the recommendation but wants to see a financial strategy for it.
"I understand the price tag is quite high, but I think that just puts us into the position of being really good partners," Mejia said. "I appreciate the outreach that staff have done to our different partners and how they will be affected."
Commissioner Menser agreed with that approach, but added he is "sensitive" to the county's deadline.
"If we cannot financially make that option work, we've got to find an option that will work," he said. "I'm hoping that we can be creative. ... Let's see If we can make it happen."
