The Lewis County Board of Commissioners approved two resolutions last Tuesday related to projects that will replace two culverts with small bridges using state and federal funds.
One resolution will allow Lewis County Public Works to purchase additional right of way to replace a culvert on Jones Road east of Centralia. The second resolution selects a contractor to move forward with removal and replacement of a culvert along Bunker Creek Road where it crosses Van Ornum Creek.
The Jones Road project will replace a culvert that supports the road as it crosses South Hanaford Creek near its intersections with Little Hanaford and Hurd roads. According to Assistant Lewis County Engineer Wesley Mathews, the current culvert is sinking and the road is failing after flooding in 2022 scoured land and material away from the culvert’s base. Scour is a term that refers to the natural erosion of soil or other material away from the supports and piers of a bridge or similar structures.
Mathews said the old culvert was identified by the state as a fish barrier. In order to improve fish passage, the crossing will be replaced with a 30-foot bridge stretching from bank to bank. The design engineering and construction for the project will be funded by money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after the county applied for funds to help repair damages related to the 2022 flood.
The project is currently in early stages. A contractor hasn’t been selected as the county works on design and engineering, but Mathews said construction is expected to start in the summer of 2026.
The second of the two projects will replace the corrugated steel culvert on Bunker Creek Road where it crosses Van Ornum Creek near Adna. Much like the plans for the Jones Creek project, the culvert will be replaced by a 30-foot bridge that will also improve fish passage in the stream.
In fact, according to Mathews, the project was selected for funding by the department’s Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board in 2024. As a result, it will be 100% funded through the Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) program under the Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife because of its potential to improve fish passage.
During the commissioners’ business meeting, the project was awarded to the lowest bidder, Midway Underground LLC, which submitted a bid of $2,108,853.75. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer and be completed by the fall. According to a map provided by Lewis County Public Works, a detour will be constructed parallel to the construction site, meaning locals will not need to worry about a long detour route.
