Chris Cook – Forks Forum photo
Work by Aberdeen-based Quigg Bros., Inc. contractors is just about complete along Russell Road. The firm’s heavy equipment has been moved from the job site at Mill Creek, and the new section of roadway has been paved with asphalt and striped.
Mayor Bryon Monohon said Wednesday evening, Oct. 3 that the City of Forks expects to reopen the road section next week, which has been closed since late 2010. Monohon spoke at the end of the annual visit of Clallam County Commissioners to collect input on the next year budget for the county. The meeting was held in the Forks Council Chambers.
The City of Forks’ $600,000-plus project replaced a pair of near-collapsed culverts that carried Mill Creek under the road about a quarter mile west of Highway 101. Now a concrete box work is in place and carries Russell Road over Mill Creek with plenty of room for salmon to move along the stream.
The bulk of the funding came from $500,000 in federal transportation funds administered by the state Department of Transportation, with the office of Sen. Patty Murray securing the funds in 2011.
Due to Mill Creek being a salmon-bearing stream, the process of replacing the culverts was more complicated than usual due to environmental concerns. The Northwest Salmon Coalition has assisted the city in assessing the salmon habitat conditions in the waters in and near the culverts.
A heavy rain storm in late 2010 damaged the already weakening culverts, forcing the closure of the road.
