Fonk Road Emergency Repair

As we announced after the Fonk Road closure in August, there is one final project element on Fonk Road to finalize this phase of construction. The Public Works team will be installing a series of 24-inch overflow pipes to account for the smaller plastic culvert (78-inch diameter) placed in August inside the former steel culvert (96-inch diameter). These 24-inch culverts will make up the hydraulic difference to convey water that could be impounded on either side of Fonk Road.

Our proposed work schedule is October 2nd thru the 5th from 8:30 AM to 3 PM except for the 4th where the proposed work schedule will be 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM to account for a school district scheduled “late start.” During these daytime hours, the road will be closed to all traffic in the same manner it was back in August. Full access will be restored each evening to the community.

We thank you for understanding and we appreciate your continued patience as we wrap up our work.

It has been an exciting week for the project and we are pleased that the new temporary 78-inch culvert has been installed! What started off as pipe-cleaning on Monday evolved into pipe placement on Tuesday based upon the field conditions we encountered. Like anyone involved in renovations, you do your best to gather the information that you can, plan for multiple contingencies, and then be flexible in your execution of your work once you tear into the walls, or in our case the ground.

This week our on-call structural Consultant prepared a new load rating report to account for our as-built site conditions and we are pleased to inform you that the new culvert crossing allows for all legal loads to pass safely across the waterway. The Consultant was aware of the community’s needs for a 48,000 LB Fire Tender and a fully loaded Cement Truck to cross the culvert safely and both were fully considered in their analysis. Therefore, no weight restrictions will be posted at this site.

While the hard part is over, there will be one more one-week closure sometime during the month of September to construct a series of 24-inch high-flow overflow pipes east of the 78-inch culvert. These overflow pipes were a requirement to secure the Temporary Construction Easement (TCE) from the adjacent property owner and the TCE was required to secure our environmental permit from the Department of Fish and Wildlife. When this work does happen, there will be daily road closures from approximately 9 AM to 3 PM during the construction period for four working days, but access will be restored to the community each day outside of construction hours. Once we have confirmed day-closure dates and times, we will be working with our public relations team to inform you, and all residents/affected districts/others, as to when we will be performing our work.

We continue to press FEMA to authorize our funding request to start the design work on the permanent solution. Unfortunately, we do not have the internal funding to begin this design work prior to receiving our FEMA reimbursement. It is our hope to begin design efforts sometime in 2024 with construction of the permanent fix sometime in 2026 or 2027.

This will be my second to last update as I will reach out to you all one last time prior to our construction efforts in September for the overflow pipes.

On behalf of Skagit County, we thank you for your continued patience and please know that we are working hard to improve service to your community as quickly as we can.

Fonk Road, south of Beaver Lake in Mount Vernon, will be closed for repair from Monday, August 7, to Friday, August 11, 2023. There will be daily road closures from approximately 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM during this time, but access will be restored to the community each day outside of construction hours.

Though it was anticipated an existing culvert pipe below the roadway would be replaced during this closure, the culvert pipe received from the manufacturer is larger and heavier than expected, pushing the limit of the County’s equipment capacities. Much to the County’s dismay, this unanticipated challenge requires the County to more thoroughly clean out the existing culvert from debris, necessitating the temporary closure.

We ask the public to please steer clear of the construction zone while the area is closed for our crews' safety and cleaning of the culvert can be finished as soon as possible.

We have been notified that the fabrication for the new culvert pipe has been completed and the pipe is on its way to Skagit County Public Works! Fonk Road will be closed for the installation from Monday, August 7, to Thursday, August 10, 2023. There will be daily road closures from approximately 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM during this time, but access will be restored to the community each day outside of construction hours.

We ask the public to please steer clear of the construction zone while the access area is closed so the repairs can be finished as soon as possible.

From our recent field visit this week, the amount of impounded water upstream of the culvert (Beaver Lake) decreased another eight inches since last week. We continue to measure 3’-6” of roadway undercut with the water surface now 5’-10” below the lip of the steel plate.

The first stage of our pipe cleaning work is completed! Our activities wrapped up a day early so no road closures are scheduled for Thursday May 25th. The dredging of the existing culvert pipe’s interior today went far better than any of us expected.

The dive team could be scheduled as early as next week to verify the maximum opening available inside the culvert, likely next week. This verification process is necessary as once the replacement pipe is ordered to slip inside the existing culvert, as there are no refunds on this $45K purchase. Once sizing is completed, the pipe delivery timeline is another few weeks. County maintenance crews will perform the construction, which will likely take 3 to 4 working days. There will be daily road closures from approximately 9 AM to 4 PM, but access will be restored to the community daily after construction hours each day. Once we have firm day-closure dates and times, we will be working with our public relations team to inform you, and all residents/affected districts/others, as to when we will be performing our work.

Our on-call structural consultant is midway through performing a load rating of the soon to be reconstructed roadway and culvert. The consultant is expected to complete their analysis as we wait for the piping to arrive such that as soon as our construction work has been completed that weight restrictions, if any, will be known for the crossing and posted if necessary. The load rating will be conducted in conformance with AASHTO HL-93 Live Loads for SU and EV type vehicles. The Consultant is aware of the community’s needs for a 48,000 LB Fire Tender and a fully loaded Cement Truck to cross the culvert safely.

Regarding our FEMA funding update for the permanent culvert fix, all our paperwork has been submitted and now we check with them every several weeks for updates. The process is very slow, and we estimate it may take upwards of 14 months before the County is authorized by FEMA to begin our design efforts.

From our recent field visit this week, the amount of impounded water upstream of the culvert (Beaver Lake) decreased another six inches since last week. continue to measure 3’-6” of roadway undercut with the water surface now 5’-2” below the lip of the steel plate.

Skagit River was forecasted to remain high this week resulting from the unseasonably warm weather and the warm weather is expected to continue through the weekend with a slight cooling trend. With only a slim chance of rain in the forecast for May 21st, we are a “Go” for the first stage of our pipe cleaning work!

Our activities will begin on Monday, May 22 with turbidity curtains deployed downstream of the work site to contain sediment that will be disturbed during the proposed culvert dredging activities. Fonk Road will remain open on Monday (5/22) and Tuesday (5/23). Dredging of the existing culvert pipe’s interior will occur on Wednesday (5/24) and Thursday (5/25). This work will require closure of the roadway between the hours of 9:30 AM and 3:00 PM on Wednesday (5/24), and 8:30 AM and 3:00 PM on Thursday (5/25). These road closure times will allow for the school bus to pick up and deliver area school children without disruption to their normal schedule.

The dive team will be scheduled as soon as they are available once the culvert has been cleared of debris to verify the maximum opening available inside, likely the following week. This verification process is necessary as once the replacement pipe is ordered to slip inside the existing culvert, as there are no refunds on this $45K purchase. Once sizing is completed, the pipe delivery timeline is another few weeks. 

County maintenance crews will perform the construction, which will likely take 3 to 4 working days. There will be daily road closures from approximately 9 AM to 4 PM, but access will be restored to the community daily after construction hours each day. Once we have firm day-closure dates and times, we will be working with our public relations team to inform you, and all residents/affected districts/others, as to when we will be performing our work.

Our on-call structural consultant is midway through performing a load rating of the soon to be reconstructed roadway and culvert. The consultant is expected to complete their analysis as we wait for the piping to arrive such that as soon as our construction work has been completed that weight restrictions, if any, will be known for the crossing and posted if necessary. The load rating will be conducted in conformance with AASHTO HL-93 Live Loads for SU and EV type vehicles. The Consultant is aware of the community’s needs for a 48,000 LB Fire Tender and a fully loaded Cement Truck to cross the culvert safely.

It was recently suggested by the community that the County seek funding from the Washington State Public Works Board (PWB) or other sources. It is worth noting Fonk Road is a FEMA declared disaster site which reimburses the County for design and construction of a replacement facility. FEMA funding isn’t a loan. PWB funds however are loans that incur interest that must be paid back to the State. As outlined in our County’s Comprehensive Plan (see attached), taking out loans for public infrastructure is not typically considered and since 2005, no such loans have been pursued. As for other financial pathways, the County has re-explored funding mechanisms to address the significant backlog of projects as reported in the Skagit Valley Herald this week, see attached. These funding pathways are similar to those proposed in 2016 to address the shortfall between the amount of revenue received by the County Road Fund and the maintenance backlog faced at that time. This backlog has only increased in size during the past seven years.

Regarding our FEMA funding update for the permanent culvert fix, all our paperwork has been submitted and now we check with them every several weeks for updates. The process is very slow, and we estimate it may take upwards of 14 months before the County is authorized by FEMA to begin our design efforts. For a similar example, the County experienced a culvert washout on North Osterman Creek in November of 2021, and to this day, we continue to await our final authorization to begin design from FEMA. There are more than a dozen sites throughout the County where we tirelessly slog through FEMA’s paperwork and meeting processes to secure funding to rebuild our recently broken infrastructure.

We recognize that the community wishes to prepare for spring maintenance projects and summer fire risks. We too wish to get this work completed as quickly as possible to allow you that piece of mind. We thank you for your continued patience and please know that we are working hard to restore service to your community as quickly as we can.

From our recent field visit this week, the amount of impounded water upstream of the culvert (Beaver Lake) decreased only three inches since last week. continue to measure 3’-6” of roadway undercut with the water surface now 4’-8” below the lip of the steel plate

The Skagit River is forecast to rise by another 5-feet next week resulting from the unseasonably warm weather in the new-term forecast and this warm weather is expected to continue through May 21st. While the continued higher water levels at the site caused by the River aren’t unusual, they are delaying our construction efforts. For our construction activities to occur, turbidity curtains are necessary to be deployed downstream of the work site to contain sediment that will be disturbed during the proposed culvert dredging activities. However, if the water level remains near or above the downstream channel’s top-of-bank, we will be unable to effectively contain sediment from our worksite. If sediment cannot be effectively contained, we risk violating our County’s HPA permit, our work will be abruptly shut down, and fines could be assessed. In review of the Skagit River’s projected stage/discharge table, it is now unclear when County crews will be a “go” for the sediment removal.

The dive team will be scheduled as soon as they are available once the culvert has been cleared of debris to verify the maximum opening available inside. This verification process is necessary as once the replacement pipe is ordered to slip inside the existing culvert, there are no refunds on this $45K purchase. Once sizing is completed, the pipe delivery timeline is 1 to 2 weeks. County maintenance crews will perform the construction, which will likely take 3 working days. There will be daily road closures but access will restored to the community before and after construction hours each day. Once we have firm day-closure dates and times, we will be working with our public relations team to inform you, and all residents/affected districts/others, as to when we will be performing our work.

From our recent field visit this week, the amount of impounded water upstream of the culvert (Beaver Lake) decreased by nearly nine inches since last week. continue to measure 3’-6” of roadway undercut with the water surface now 4’-5” below the lip of the steel plate. 

While the continued higher water levels at the site aren’t unusual, they are delaying our construction efforts. Turbidity curtains are necessary to be deployed downstream of the work site to contain sediment that will be stirred up during the proposed construction. However, if the water level remains above the downstream channel’s top-of-bank, we will be unable to effectively contain sediment from our worksite. If sediment cannot be effectively contained, we would be in violation of the County’s HPA permit. In review of the Skagit River’s projected stage/discharge table, we now anticipate installing the turbidity curtains on May 15th and use May 16th and 17th for culvert debris removal. We will know more by the end of next week and will provide confirmation if we are a “go".

The “dive team” will be scheduled as soon as they are available once the culvert has been cleaned to verify the maximum opening available inside. This verification process is necessary as once the replacement pipe is ordered to slip inside the existing culvert, there are no refunds on this $45K purchase. Once sizing is completed, the pipe delivery timeline is 1 to 2 weeks. County maintenance crews will perform the construction, which will likely take 3 working days. There will be daily road closures with access restored before and after construction hours. Once we have firm day-closure dates and times, we will be working with our public relations team to inform you, and all residents/affected districts/others, as to when we will be performing our work.

We have written a scope of work and negotiated a price with our on-call structural consultant to perform a load rating of the reconstructed roadway and culvert. The consultant is expected to perform their analysis while we wait for the piping to arrive such that as soon as our construction work has been completed that weight restrictions, if any, will be known for the crossing. The load rating will be conducted in conformance with AASHTO HL-93 Live Loads for SU and EV type vehicles.

From our recent field visit this week, the amount of impounded water upstream of the culvert (Beaver Lake) increased by nearly a foot since last week. The increase is a combination of the higher stage of the Skagit River and rainfall events within the area’s drainage basin. We continue to measure 3’-6” of roadway undercut with the water surface now 3’-8” below the lip of the steel plate.

While higher water levels at the site aren’t unusual, they are delaying our construction efforts. Turbidity curtains are necessary to be deployed downstream of the work site to contain sediment that will be stirred up during the proposed construction. However, if the water level remains above the downstream channel’s top-of-bank, we will be unable to effectively contain sediment from our worksite. If sediment cannot be effectively contained, we would be in violation of the County’s HPA permit. Therefore, we have delayed our work for this week and possibly next week as well. As you can see from NOAA’s Skagit River gauge data forecasted for next week, high temperatures will further raise the Skagit River’s stage which in turn is expected to maintain the level of impounded water at Fonk Road.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will act quickly if a window of opportunity presents itself to clean out the culvert. The “dive team” will be scheduled as soon as they are available once the culvert has been cleaned to verify the maximum opening available inside. This verification process is necessary as once the replacement pipe is ordered to slip inside the existing culvert, there are no refunds on this $45K purchase. Once sizing is completed, the pipe delivery timeline is 1 to 2 weeks. County maintenance crews will perform the construction, which will likely take 3 working days. There will be daily road closures with access restored before and after construction hours. Once we have firm day-closure dates and times, we will be working with our public relations team to inform you, and all residents/affected districts/others, as to when we will be performing our work.

From our recent field visits on Monday and Thursday this week, the amount of impounded water upstream of the culvert (Beaver Lake) increased by more than a foot due to recent rainfall on Monday, but subsided by 3 inches as of yesterday. The amount of erosion at the outlet remains stable. Attached are pictures for your reference. 

Our initial work to clean out the existing pipe will commence during the week of April 24th and remains on schedule. The “dive team” is scheduled for the first week in May to verify the maximum opening available inside of the culvert. This verification process is necessary as once the replacement pipe is ordered to slip inside the existing pipe, there are no refunds on this $45K purchase. Once sizing is completed, the pipe delivery timeline is 1 to 2 weeks. County maintenance crews will perform the construction, which will likely take 3 working days. There will be daily road closures with access restored before and after construction hours. Once we have firm day-closure dates and times, we will be working with our public relations team to inform you, and all residents/affected districts/others, as to when we will be performing our work. 

The Fire District and the DNR are now coordinating directly to determine whether water storage tanks with trash pumps can be staged at the east side of the culvert. It has been seven weeks and PW has not heard from either party whether these efforts are moving forward or not.

From our recent field visit on Thursday, the amount of impounded water upstream of the culvert (Beaver Lake) appears to be little changed from prior weeks. 

Our Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA) application to the WDFW was approved last week. As County staff must borrow resources from Snohomish County, specifically turbidity curtains, our initial work to clean out the existing pipe will commence during the week of April 24th. 

The “dive team” is scheduled for the first week in May to verify the maximum opening available inside of the culvert. This verification process is necessary as once the replacement pipe is ordered to slip inside the existing pipe, there are no refunds on this $45K purchase. 

Once sizing is completed, the pipe delivery timeline is 1 to 2 weeks. County maintenance crews will perform the construction, which will likely take 3 working days. There will be daily road closures with access restored before and after construction hours. 

 Once we have firm day-closure dates and times, we will be working with our public relations team to inform you, and all residents/affected districts/others, as to when we will be performing our work. 

 Thursday of this week, Public Works hosted the damage assessment team from FEMA, and together we toured the site. FEMA staff collected their data to verify our previous reporting, and they will continue processing the County’s request for reimbursement of this damaged facility. 

 The Fire District and the DNR are now coordinating directly to determine whether water storage tanks with trash pumps can be staged at the east side of the culvert. It has been six weeks and PW has not heard from either party whether these efforts are moving forward or not.

From our recent field visit, the amount of impounded water upstream of the culvert (Beaver Lake) appears to be little changed from last week.

Our Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA) application to the WDFW was approved on Thursday with the final sticking points resolved. County staff are acquiring turbidity curtains and other resources to dredge the existing culvert in the coming days so the slip-line pipe-size can be field verified. Once completed, the pipe may be ordered. Previously the pipe delivery timeline was 4 to 6 weeks. We are waiting to hear back from the vendor if that remains the expected timeline.

The Fire District and the DNR are now coordinating directly to determine whether water storage tanks with trash pumps can be staged at the east side of the culvert. It has been four weeks and PW has not heard from either party whether these efforts are moving forward or not.

The amount of impounded water upstream of the culvert (Beaver Lake) has continued to fall. We continue to measure 3’-6” of roadway undercut with the water surface now 5’-2” below the lip of the steel plate. Attached are pictures from earlier in the week. 

Our Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA) application to the WDFW was resubmitted last week to resolve the final sticking points. We have been told to expect their approval during the first week of April. Once we do, the existing culvert can be dredged the following week and the slip-line pipe size can be field verified. From there, the pipe can be ordered. Previously the pipe delivery timeline was 4 to 6 weeks. We are waiting to hear back from the vendor if that remains the expected timeline. 

The Fire District and the DNR are now coordinating directly to determine whether water storage tanks and trash pumps can be staged at the east side of the culvert. PW has not heard from either party whether these efforts are moving forward or not.

The amount of impounded water upstream of the culvert (Beaver Lake) has continued to fall as a result of the President’s Day weekend rain event. We continue to measure 3’-6” of roadway undercut with the water surface now 5’-2” below the lip of the steel plate. Attached are pictures from earlier in the week.

Our Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA) application to the WDFW was submitted four weeks ago and this week we have been clarifying and resolving with WDFW the final sticking points. We are hopeful to get our approval next week. Once we do, the existing culvert can be dredged and the slip-line pipe size can be field verified. From there, the pipe can be ordered.

The Fire District and the DNR are now coordinating directly to determine whether water storage tanks and trash pumps can be staged at the east side of the culvert.

The amount of impounded water upstream of the culvert (Beaver Lake) has started to fall as a result of the President’s Day weekend rain event. These events have further submerged the culvert’s outlet and submerged its inlet. Flow is again moving from north to south. We continue to measure 3’-6” of roadway undercut with the water surface now 4’-6” below the lip of the steel plate.

Our Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA) application to the WDFW was submitted three weeks ago and we hope to hear a positive response from them soon. Once we do, the existing culvert can be dredged and the slip-line pipe size can be field verified. From there, the pipe can be ordered.

The Fire District and the DNR are now coordinating directly to determine whether water storage tanks and trash pumps can be staged at the east side of the culvert.

The amount of impounded water upstream of the culvert (Beaver Lake) has risen significantly as a result of Sunday’s 0.46-inch and Monday’s 1.47-inch rain event. These events have further submerged the culvert’s outlet and submerged its inlet. In addition, flow was observed moving from south to north, contrary to the expected direction of flow from north to south. To the best of our ability, we continue to measure 3’-6” of roadway undercut with the water surface now 2’-8” below the lip of the steel plate. Attached are pictures from earlier in the week.

The Temporary Construction Easement required for our proposed culvert repair was approved by the Board of County Commissioners at its February 21st meeting. Our Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA) application to the WDFW was submitted two weeks ago and we hope to hear a positive response from them soon. Once we do, the existing culvert can be dredged and the slip-line pipe size can be field verified. From there, the pipe can be ordered.

The Fire District and the DNR are now coordinating directly to determine whether water storage tanks and trash pumps can be staged at the east side of the culvert. The DNR advised the County that, “According to DNR maps those roads are technically abandoned. Although there does appear to be incursions from ORV’s into the DNR land, the roads are not maintained for safe larger vehicle access.”

The amount of impounded water upstream of the culvert (Beaver Lake) has now stabilized and we continue to be encouraged by no measurable signs of erosion at the culvert’s outlet. We remain at 3’-6” of roadway undercut with the water surface now 4’-11” below the lip of the steel plate.

With Temporary Construction Easement in-hand, the County can now move forward with submitting the Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA) application to WDFW for review and approval.

The amount of impounded water upstream of the culvert (Beaver Lake) has now stabilized and we continue to be encouraged by no measurable signs of erosion at the culvert’s outlet. We remain at 3’-6” of roadway undercut with the water surface now 4’-11” below the lip of the steel plate.

At present, the soonest likely date of when the slip-line pipe could be installed, and the roadway width restored to its condition prior to the November 2022 washout, would be the last week of March, assuming we do not come against unanticipated challenges.

The amount of impounded water upstream of the culvert continues to fall and we continue to be encouraged by no new measurable signs of erosion. We remain at 3’-6” of undercut with the water surface now 5’-0” below the lip of the steel plate. Attached are today’s pictures.

We also met on site with the new representative from WDFW who listened to our proposed approach. She did not take exception to what we are proposing and so we will proceed with finalizing and submitting the Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA) application shortly. The County intends to install an HDPE pipe slipped inside of the existing CMP culvert.

When we receive our approved HPA from WDFW, the County will dredge, to the best of its ability, the existing culvert to remove as much of the debris inside as possible. The amount of debris encountered by the contractor’s dive team varied from 2 to 3-feet in depth. When completed, we can then confirm the size of HDPE slip-line pipe that is able to fit within the remaining space. Only after we have this confirmation will we order the pipe. With a price tag of just over $40K, it is important that it is sized correctly.

The HDPE slip-line pipe, has an estimated delivery date of 4 to 5 weeks from the date of order. Upon its receipt, we will coordinate the schedules of our County Operations Staff and the Contractor’s scuba diving team to install the pipe. This installation is weather sensitive/dependent and if the scheduled time of installation conflicts with high runoff through the drainage basin, the installation may be rescheduled for the safety of the installation team. In a perfect world, where nothing goes wrong, we anticipate that the earliest the pipe’s installation could possibly occur would be week of March 15th.

The most likely solution involves relining the existing culvert with a smaller diameter HDPE plastic culvert whose installation could occur as early the middle of March.

At this time, the short-term mitigation solution is a collaboration between County and Contractor staff.

The jurisdictional end of County ROW, and therefore the end where the County maintains Fonk Road, lies further to the west at the quarter corner, roughly at the abandoned homesite along the south side of Fonk Road. Specifically, the end of County maintenance ends 1,040 feet east from Beaver Lake Road. From this point eastward, including the turnaround, all road maintenance is the responsibility of the private landowners.

The Upper Skagit Tribe is already in the process of studying the drainage basin of Nookachamps Creek with its consultant, ESA. The outcome of this study is scheduled to be completed towards the end of 2023. When this study is completed, it will greatly inform what the permanent solution must be considered for replacing the Fonk Road culvert. In addition, the culvert’s failure during early November of 2022, has been officially designated as a FEMA event.

With this designation, both the design and construction of the eventual replacement will be reimbursed by FEMA to the County. When considered together the County cannot begin design of the permanent solution until the Tribe’s assessment of the basin is completed and the approvals by FEMA are received by the County.

With the understanding the County has received approval from FEMA and direction from the Tribe’s basin study by the end of 2023, the timeline for design, permitting approval, and construction of the final solution, would be completed, at the earliest, by the fall of 2026.