Construction work on a new bridge along Golf Club Hill Road, spanning Chico Creek began on April 29.

The project, in partnership with the Suquamish Tribe, replaces the existing triple concrete box culvert with a 140-foot span concrete girder bridge and widened stream channel to restore natural habitat and enhance fish migration.

Work will occur Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. As the only access for the Kitsap Golf and Country Club and residences, the existing bridge was designed so that one lane is always open for alternating traffic. Motorists can expect occasional and brief traffic delays during construction, which is anticipated to extend through October 2020.

Also on April 29, the adjacent Chico Salmon County Park will be closed for the duration of the project.

“As we’ve seen in other areas of the county, replacing box culverts with bridges significantly improves the habitat for wildlife and brings our waterways and estuaries back to their natural state,” said Commissioner Ed Wolfe, chair of Kitsap County’s Board of Commissioners. “In partnership with the Suquamish Tribe, we are committed to improving and maintaining the health of our natural resources.”

“Our goal of preserving a wild run of chum salmon and protecting the Chico watershed and all of Puget Sound just moved one step closer,” Suquamish Tribal Chairman Leonard Forsman said. “The tribe has deep historical and cultural roots in Chico. We have been working with the county on trying to remove the Golf Club Hill Road culvert for nearly 20 years, and it’s gratifying to see this obstacle to fish passage being removed.”

The project is funded through a Washington State Recreation and Conservation grant and the Kitsap County Road Fund. The contractor, Interwest Construction Inc., is completing the project under a $2.5 million contract.