Survey
Design
and Construction
Development
Review
Transportation
/ Programs
Current Road Construction Projects
Skagit County Fish Passage Improvement Program
Private and County
Roads list
|
Jordan Creek Bridge Replacement
May 2026 Update - Temporary Bridge Installation Scheduled by October 2026
Jordan Creek experienced a log jam just upstream of Rockport Cascade Road during the December 2025 flood events. The creek then diverted around the west bridge abutment and cut through approximately 70-feet of roadway.
Skagit County originally intended to construct a temporary bridge and lease the infrastructure to reopen the roadway; however, after Public Works designed the temporary approaches for the bridge to set on, the contractor provided their construction estimate. Between construction and leasing, the cost estimate was over $2M. Public Works could not afford such a high cost for a temporary fix, particularly when we would need to eventually tear out the temporary bridge to construct a permanent bridge in the future, so this work was delayed until additional funding could be secured.
On April 11th, FEMA announced Skagit County would be eligible for public assistance disaster funds for repairs needed from the December floods. These funds can be used to construct a temporary bridge over Jordan Creek. Now that the disaster declaration has been approved, Public Works is moving forward with installing the temporary bridge by this October.
Background
The bridge over Jordan Creek has had a history of washouts, including one most recently in the 1980s. The creek banks have been diked and armored in the past, which increased the flow velocity and erosion of the waterway in the vicinity of the bridge.
When evaluating a permanent fix for Jordan Creek, we cannot divert the creek into the original channel and fill the area where the creek has washed out the roa . Environmental permitting agencies will not allow us to use this strategy as they are concerned the creek will continue to divert to the new path, causing additional washouts since the bridge cause a pinch point in the historic river channel.
If Skagit County were to attempt to move the channel back to its original path before the December 2025 floods, the County would be penalized by state and federal agencies, which would require Public Works to conduct expensive mitigation projects to offset the impact of our work. This would also disrupt our relationships with those agencies, which could cause issues with other projects where we need permits in the future.
|
Contact Public Works Engineering
Assistant County Engineer | Engineering Division Manager
Thomas Weller, P.E.
1800 Continental Place
Mount Vernon, WA 98273
Phone: (360) 416-1400
Fax: (360) 416-1405
email: pw@co.skagit.wa.us |
