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SE Jones Road Culvert Replacement Project
Construction is anticipated in summer 2026.
This aging 3-foot-diameter pipe under SE Jones Road is rusting and clogged with debris. It will be replaced with a much larger, fish-passable concrete box culvert.
Status update
April 2026
Construction is anticipated to begin as early as August 2026 and will require a full road closure lasting up to eight weeks.
You are welcome to sign up to receive email/text notifications about the project at Road Alerts. To see other Road Service projects in your community, please visit the MyCommute website.
Project overview
King County will replace an old, rusted metal pipe under SE Jones Road near house number 17817. The current pipe is old and only 3-feet-wide. It can get blocked easily and is at risk of failing due to age and rust. There is a steep hillside above, so rocks, leaves, dirt, and other debris often build up inside the pipe. This buildup can cause water to back up and damage the road. During heavy rain, water can also flow off the road onto nearby private property. This can cause flooding or erosion. Also, water moves through the pipe too fast for fish to safely swim upstream.
Because the stream is steep, crews will reshape part of it and remove some rocks to make the new culvert easier to maintain.
Construction will require a full, 24/7 closure of the road near 17817 SE Jones Road for up to eight weeks. The road will be closed to all vehicles, pedestrians, and bicycles.
Project location map
This project is located east of Renton on SE Jones Road (near 17817 SE Jones Road).
Why is King County replacing this culvert?
We are replacing the narrow metal culvert because it is too small and deteriorated.
The existing narrow metal culvert is being replaced because it is undersized, deteriorating, and acts as a barrier to fish passage.
The current culvert is too small to handle the stream’s water flow, which can cause flooding during heavy rains. Its narrow design also can clog with debris, requiring frequent maintenance. The new, 14-foot-wide concrete box culvert will replace the deteriorating pipe with a new culvert that will last seventy or more years. It will also improve drainage, reduce the risk of flooding, and allow fish to move more easily through the stream beneath the road.
Benefits of the concrete box culvert
Concrete box culverts have many benefits, including durability, strength, and ease of installation.
The new box culvert will accommodate a much larger volume of water and has a longer lifespan than a metal pipe.
This culvert is designed to be fish passable and will allow salmon, trout, and other fish to swim farther up this tributary to their spawning grounds.
What to expect during construction:
SE Jones Road at the project location will be closed 24/7 for up to eight weeks during construction.
The road is too narrow to maintain any traffic safely through the work zone. This work will require a large construction crane and other necessary equipment.
During construction, crews will:
- Excavate a large pit in the road to remove the existing 3-foot diameter metal pipe.
- Prepare the ground for the installation of the new culvert. Using a large crane, crews will place the sides and bottom of the new culvert in the ground.
- Create a stream bed inside the culvert using natural materials to improve fish passage.
- Lower the lid of the culvert into place with a crane.
- Rebuild and pave the road.
The project team will work to protect trees near the creek and minimize dust and dirt caused by construction. However, people living near the work area might experience the following while the culvert is being removed and replaced:
- Noise and odor from saw cutting, jackhammers, excavators, generators and pumps.
- Increased truck traffic for hauling materials to and from the construction site.
- Large construction cranes operating in the roadway.
- After the new culvert is opened to traffic, crews will continue low impact restoration work including plantings and site clean-up.
Funding
This project is funded through the King County Roads Drainage Preservation budget, which is supported by local funding sources.
Project timeline
- Final project design: Early summer 2026
- Construction work begins: Late summer 2026
- Substantial construction complete: Fall 2026
Frequently asked questions
SE Jones Road is too narrow to fit a big construction crane and other necessary equipment and still leave enough space to safely let even a single lane of traffic pass through. There are no shoulders to store equipment.
It will take approximately eight weeks to remove the old pipe and install the new box culvert under the road. Once the new culvert is installed, crews will reopen both lanes of SE Jones Road.
The eight-week full road closure also significantly reduces the total cost of the project and reduces the amount of time spent on construction.
Whenever possible, crews will replant or restore any vegetation removed during construction.
A fish passage barrier is anything that makes it very difficult for fish to swim upstream or downstream.
Most fish barriers in unincorporated King County are round pipes (culverts) that channel streams and water underneath the road. Many of these culverts were installed between 30 and 100 years ago. These older culverts allow water to flow but are so narrow and steep that they prevent fish from swimming through them.
The current concrete pipe is a fish passage barrier on this unnamed tributary. Once the pipe is replaced under SE Jones Road, it will no longer be a fish passage barrier and will allow passage to all fish using the stream.
Once this fish passage barrier is removed, the following species have the potential to return to the unnamed stream, which serves as a tributary to the Cedar River.
- Chinook salmon
- Coho salmon
- Steelhead trout
- Sea run cutthroat trout
- Resident trout
One of the most effective ways to ensure the survival of native fish – and the southern resident orcas that rely on them as a food source – is to remove barriers to their habitat.
Photos
2025: rust and deterioration has worsened, and more rocks and dirt and leaves have built up inside the narrow metal pipe.
2023: Inside the culvert under SE Jones Road, the small metal pipe is getting blocked by rocks and dirt. This slows down the water, and the pipe is also getting rusty and wearing out.
The current 3-foot-wide pipe is deteriorating and contributing to the pothole in this photo.