DESCRIPTION
The primary objective of this project is to develop final designs for replacement of the Fletcher Bay Rd NE culvert on Springbrook Creek and habitat restoration for approximately 200' of stream channel (including the section of creek that is currently confined within the culvert). The crossing under Fletcher Bay Road NE is a partial fish barrier that includes a series of concrete weirs and bank armoring upstream and downstream of the culvert, and an undersized (5 ft. wide x 100 ft. long) steel culvert. Conceptual designs for the culvert replacement and stream restoration were developed by Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC) as part of the Springbrook Creek Watershed Assessment (2018). This project will build on the existing designs to develop final designs and accelerate the timeline to construction for the highest-priority restoration action in Springbrook Creek. Ultimately, the goal of the project is to restore fish passage and in-stream habitat conditions low in the Springbrook Creek watershed to benefit salmonid populations and improve the capacity of the stream to accommodate hydrologic changes associated with climate change.
The City of Bainbridge Island advanced the conceptual designs for a fish passable road crossing at Fletcher Bay Rd NE and Springbrook Creek to the 30% level with assistance from Salmon Recovery Funding Board funds. During the design process the City had fruitful interactions with multiple stakeholders including the Suquamish Tribe, Department of Fish and Wildlife, Bainbridge Island Land Trust, Wild Fish Conservancy, Salmon Recovery Funding Board and community members. These discussions steered the design toward a crossing that will be resilient to higher flows and let fish in all life stages move up and down the stream corridor. The design team worked with the City to understand the constraints of building a free spanning bridge at this location and found alternatives to the conceptual design that would work to achieve all the fish passage goals with less site impact.
