Public works to seek bids for Garlock Road fish-passage project, approves PBS design contract for Delameter culverts

Susan, the county engineer in Public Works, told commissioners Public Works placed two fish-passage projects on the consent agenda because she would attend an engineering conference online.

For Garlock Road (the Delameter Creek fish-passage project), Susan said the engineering estimate is about $2,000,000 and that the project is funded at 85% by the Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board. The project will open roughly 2.5 miles of habitat, she said, and the county plans to close Garlock Road during construction; residents adjacent to the work will still have access but drivers will not be able to pass straight through for the duration. Susan said she would confirm the precise closure duration but estimated it would likely be between 60 and 80 days because in-water work is constrained by fish windows.

On the Delameter Road Culvert Replacement project, Susan presented a negotiated consultant agreement with PBS Engineering for $843,071 to provide engineering and design services. She said the complete construction project is estimated at nearly $7,000,000 and described the PBS contract as negotiated down from initial proposals. She said the Delameter culverts are partial fish blockages and that replacement will include a simulated stream channel through the new culverts so fish can pass during low flows and high flows; that simulated channel typically extends 20 to 100 feet beyond the road to tie into the natural streambed. Susan said the Delameter project is 100% funded by project-specific funds.

Why it matters: Both projects are intended to restore fish passage on streams by replacing undersized culverts. Susan noted statutory procurement constraints—engineers and architects are selected by qualifications, with price negotiated once a top consultant is chosen—and that some WSDOT contract terms and disadvantaged-business-enterprise (DBE) participation requirements apply to these federal/state-funded projects.

Commissioners asked technical questions about material life expectancy and steel specifications; Susan said she would provide specification details from the bid documents. She also described prior projects (for example, Arret/Air Creek) where crews observed adult salmon within days of opening a replaced culvert, underscoring the ecological intent of these projects.

The items were placed on the consent agenda, and Susan said she would provide follow-up details on schedule, durations and DBE participants as requested.