SHELTON – Shelton travelers will soon use two new ramps at the US 101 Shelton-Matlock Road interchange. The new ramps help create a more traditional diamond interchange. The changes also set the stage to better help fish get around.
As early as the evening of Monday, Nov. 25, Washington State Department of Transportation’s design-build contractor Parsons/Scarsella will open the new southbound US 101 exit to Shelton-Matlock Road.
Temporary changes
Following the opening of the new ramp, crews later will shift Shelton-Matlock Road traffic onto a temporary two-lane bypass road. This will allow travelers to keep moving while contractor crews create a new stream channel under Shelton-Matlock Road.
As soon as the week of Monday, Dec. 2, crews will also open the new Shelton-Matlock Road on-ramp to southbound US 101.
Poor weather conditions could delay the timing.
Fish barrier removal effort
The project is part of WSDOT’s comprehensive effort to remove barriers to fish passage. Removing barriers to fish at this interchange would have meant replacing culverts deep under both directions of US 101 as well as most of the interchange’s ramps.
An innovative approach from the design-builder will instead realign a portion of Coffee Creek. Crews are in the process of building about 2,000 feet of replicated natural streambed west of US 101 that will send Coffee Creek into Goldsborough Creek.
Advance information about project this available via the Kitsap and Mason county construction and travel updates web page. Real-time traveler information is available from the WSDOT app and by following the WSDOT regional Twitter feed.
