Drivers across Kitsap County are about to face a brutal stretch of summer traffic as two major highway closures begin on the same day in June to make way for fish passage projects.
The Washington State Department of Transportation announced that both State Route 3 near Gorst and State Route 160 near Port Orchard are scheduled to close Saturday, June 13, creating lengthy detours for commuters, ferry travelers, and visitors heading through Kitsap County.
WSDOT acknowledged the timing in a tongue-in-cheek Facebook post announcing the closures.
“Are you sad because we’re pausing our biggest construction projects in June during the soccer matches in Seattle?” the agency wrote. “Oh boy, do we have a consolation prize for you!”
The closures are tied to federally mandated fish barrier removal projects aimed at restoring salmon migration routes and improving habitat for species that support Puget Sound’s endangered orca population.
SR 3 Near Gorst To Shut Down For 16 Days
WSDOT said SR 3 between Belfair and Bremerton will close around the clock for 16 days beginning the morning of June 13. Crews will replace an outdated culvert near Sunnyslope Road Southwest with a new 150-foot-long box culvert designed to improve fish passage through Gorst Creek.
The closure will allow construction crews to work continuously and complete the project faster, according to WSDOT.
Drivers will detour using Sunnyslope Road Southwest and Southwest Lake Flora Road. Commercial trucks will be rerouted to SR 16 and SR 302.
People walking, biking, or rolling through the area will use Northeast Old Belfair Highway and West Belfair Valley Road.
WSDOT said residential and business access north and south of the closure area will remain open. The agency noted the timeline could shift if weather delays occur or if off-site culvert assembly runs into issues.
Sedgwick Road Closure Near Port Orchard To Last Months
The same evening, SR 160 — better known locally as Sedgwick Road — will close between Blackberry Hill Lane and Long Lake Road near Port Orchard through the end of October. The closure will allow crews to build a new bridge over Salmonberry Creek and remove another fish barrier.
Drivers heading toward the Southworth ferry terminal will detour using Jackson Avenue, Salmonberry Road, and Long Lake Road. Pedestrians and cyclists will use Phillips Road, Salmonberry Road, Long Lake Road, and Lakeview Drive.
WSDOT said fully closing the roadway shortens construction time and reduces environmental impacts in surrounding wetlands.
Fish Passage Deadlines Limit Flexibility
WSDOT said it intentionally scaled back major construction work in the Seattle area during the FIFA World Cup but could not avoid the Kitsap County closures because of strict environmental work windows tied to fish activity.
The agency is also operating under a federal court injunction requiring Washington to remove hundreds of fish barriers statewide by 2030.
“Any road closure is at the least inconvenient,” WSDOT wrote on its website. “At the same time, we have a limited time period that we can work in a stream.”
Additional construction is already underway on SR 16 near Tremont Street West, where crews are building a temporary bypass road ahead of a separate two-year fish passage project.
WSDOT said drivers throughout Kitsap County should expect delays, nighttime lane closures, reduced speed limits, and additional detours throughout the summer construction season.
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