The Duckabush estuary has been degraded for almost 100 years by a wall of highway fill that nearly severs the ecological connection of the estuary to the tidelands. WDFW and HCSEG, in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Washington State Department of Transportation, is proposing to correct this legacy environmental impact and restore the Duckabush River estuary. The estuary is important habitat for salmon and other fish and wildlife including several species listed under the Endangered Species Act. The project would reconnect the river to its floodplain and wetlands by removing highway fill across the estuary, modifying local roads, elevating Highway 101 onto an estuary-spanning bridge, and reconnecting historical channels. Construction phase will bring to fruition 2 decades of collaboration and over $32M invested by the State of Washington, the Army Corps, and a consortium of partners that formed the Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Project (PSNERP) to identify opportunities for process-based shoreline habitat restoration. Located primarily on WDFW-managed lands in the Duckabush Unit of the North Olympia Wildlife Area, the project demonstrates the department's commitment to stewarding our lands for future generations. The project improves rare estuarine habitat, replaces aging infrastructure, reduces seasonal flooding in the lower river, and will create hundreds of living-wage jobs.