Eagle Harbor Drive fish passage project nearly complete
Published 1:30 am Thursday, October 16, 2025
The city of Bainbridge Island announced Oct. 6 that the Cooper Creek 15-foot culvert overpass at Eagle Harbor Drive and Wyatt Way is now open to vehicle traffic, which replaces the former 30-inch culvert and aims to improve the natural flow of the creek.
As of Oct. 10, COBI reports the fish passage project is around 85% complete, with drainage, water line, and handrail work still needing to be completed. From mid-October to early December, COBI says drivers should anticipate intermittent flagging during work hours; both lanes will remain open outside of flagging times.
Staff will monitor salmon actively with weekly observations of ecosystem recovery.
COBI originally intended to complete the fish passage and non-motorized project as one bundled project by a single contractor. However, in June, council was informed of a math error and passed a resolution rejecting the bid, as the state Department of Transportation wouldn’t allow COBI to award a bid. The city subsequently had to re-advertise the bid for the non-motorized portion of the project.
“As design progressed, we realized the fish passage might not be permitted in time to fit the federal schedule. To avoid losing funding, we separated the fish passage into its own project with a separate contract,” per a city news release.
The fish passage project had a limited window to complete the work between July 15 and Oct. 15. In August, city manager Blair King said the city was fast-tracking the process and authorized an additional $48,000 for the contractor BI-based Redside Construction, to incentivize early completion of the project.
“In early December, the project area will likely be winterized, and construction will pause for the season depending on the weather. The road will stay open. Around mid-March, work will resume on the non-motorized improvements, which are expected to be completed in 2026, giving us a beautiful, safer corridor for bikes, pedestrians, and freely swimming fish,” per the release.
