The following is a press release from the Washington State Department of Transportation:

State Route 164 between Auburn and Enumclaw will remain closed for about a week longer than scheduled at Pussyfoot Creek due to supply chain issues. Detours will remain in place until work is complete.

The Washington State Department of Transportation contractor for this project, Auburn-based Rodarte Construction, has had issues acquiring the steel rebar needed to finish the work, which was scheduled to conclude Saturday, Oct. 9. The highway now is expected to reopen by Saturday, Oct. 16.

The work on SR 164 is part of WSDOT’s program to improve fish passage. The highway has been closed since July 12 so contractor crews could remove 40 feet of fill and an 11-foot diameter culvert, then build a bridge over Pussyfoot Creek. In September crews finished restoring a natural creek bed for Pussyfoot Creek, opening about 9.3 miles of additional habitat for coho salmon, steelhead and coastal cutthroat trout.

As of 2021, WSDOT’s fish passage program has completed more than 365 projects statewide and improved access to more than 1,200 miles of upstream habitat for migratory and resident fish. The additional habitat provides more area for salmon, steelhead and other migratory fish to spawn. This increases the number of fish that go to the Salish Sea and supports marine life as well as commercial and recreational fishers.