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SR 169 near Black Diamond to close for months for culvert repairs

Published 5:10 pm Tuesday, July 28, 2026

By Ray Miller-Still

The culvert that carries Ginder Creek beneath SR 169 near Black Diamond-Ravensdale Road creates a barrier for fish trying to swim upstream. Photo courtesy WSDOT
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The culvert that carries Ginder Creek beneath SR 169 near Black Diamond-Ravensdale Road creates a barrier for fish trying to swim upstream. Photo courtesy WSDOT

The culvert that carries Ginder Creek beneath SR 169 near Black Diamond-Ravensdale Road creates a barrier for fish trying to swim upstream. Photo courtesy WSDOT
This is the route commuters will take to get around the mid-August closure on SR 169. Truck drivers will need to use a different route. Image courtesy WSDOT
This is the route truck drivers will take to get around the mid-August closure on SR 169. Image courtesy WSDOT

The Department of Transportation has outlined a general construction schedule on SR 169 around Black Diamond.

Over the next couple years, the DOT will be working in the highway to repair several fish culverts, inside and out of the city, necessitating several closures that will affect commuters.

Local residents may have already noticed single-lane closures on the highway just south of Black Diamond; the DOT said they are prepping the site for construction in August.

In mid-August, that part of SR 169 (between Plass Road and Southeast 332nd Street) will be fully closed for about 35 days.

This will require commuters to use SE Green Valley Road to get around the closure.

Local access will be permitted.

Construction will continue through the fall, but then pause until spring 2027; both lanes will be open until that time.

2027-2028 CONSTRUCTION

Next year, commuters can expect this part of SR 169 to be closed for about 25 days at some point (an exact time is yet to be determined).

Once construction is complete outside the city of Black Diamond, work to repair culverts at the intersection of SR 169 and Black Diamond-Ravensdale Road.

At some point, all traffic will be stopped for about 60 days.

There are possible future partial or full closures later in the year.

Construction will go through 2027 until the winter, pause, and then resume the spring of 2028; again, lanes will be open until that time.

Work is expected to be complete in 2028, although construction will be affected by weather conditions and other factors.

WHAT IS THIS PROJECT?

There are five total culverts under SR 169, and the state is required by a 2013 court injunction to remove barriers to these culverts and hundreds of others around the state.

There are three culverts (one on Rock Creek and two other unnamed tributaries) that flow under the highway just south of the city.

Two other culverts for Ginder Creek and another unnamed tributary are under SR 169 near Roberts Drive.

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