In December, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife signed a partnership agreement with the US Army Corps of Engineers, establishing cost-sharing and implementation responsibilities for restoring the Duckabush Estuary.
The Duckabush Estuary Restoration Project is a $120 million infrastructure project to raise a section of Highway 101 that has bisected the estuary for almost a century. The causeway and two bridge sections will be replaced with a 1,613ft bridge, reestablishing the estuary’s connection to neighboring floodplains and creating a corridor for marine and terrestrial wildlife.
The Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group, in partnership with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, have long supported the project, but a traditional benefit-cost analysis (BCA) identified just $14.4 million in benefits, largely based on avoided property losses and other flood damages.
In early 2023, Earth Economics conducted an ecosystem service valuation and jobs analysis of the project, estimating the total value of the ecosystems protected and restored at $75.4 million over the 100-year lifespan of the bridge (discounted at 3%), generating 449 jobs in the local economy. Furthermore, restoring connectivity in the estuary would support an additional 400,000 salmon, valued at $30–$109 million to Puget Sound residents.
The final design of the Duckabush Estuary Restoration Project is expected by late 2025, with construction starting in late 2026, subject to federal funding availability and authorization.
