SMOKEY POINT — Construction crews will have one lane of SR 531 closed west of Interstate 5 on Friday, Oct. 9 as they wrap up a culvert replacement project under the roadway.

Crews will alternate one-way traffic on SR 531 between 11th Avenue NE and McRae Road NW from about 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 9 while they stripe the roadway and add asphalt curbing.

Starting on Monday, Oct. 12, crews will completely close both directions of that same stretch from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. while they remove logs from nearby Cougar Creek.

Signed detours will be available for drivers in the area, but WSDOT spokeswoman Meghan Soptich Pembroke said drivers should allow for extra time.

WSDOT crews replaced the older culvert at the creek in September with a larger culvert and re-built the roadway.

The new boxed culvert will stabilize the highway and help protect against future storms, as well as improve fish passage, Soptich Pembroke said.