Culvert upgrades to save fish

$200 million in federal grants to go toward updating tunnels

The Biden administration on Wednesday announced nearly

$200 million in federal infrastructure grants to upgrade tunnels that carry streams beneath roads but can be deadly to fish that get stuck trying to pass through.

Many of the narrow passages known as culverts, often made from metal pipes or concrete, were built in the 1950s and contribute to population declines of salmon and other fish that live in the ocean but return to freshwater streams to spawn.

By extension, fisheries — including tribal-run operations — have experienced losses they blame in part on such barriers as culverts and dams.

“We inherited a lot of structures that were built in a way that just did not properly contemplate the effect they were having on fish,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in an interview with The Associated

Press. “You don’t have to be a fish enthusiast or ecologist to care about this. It’s very important for the livelihoods, economies and way of life in many parts of the country.”

Some of the 169 projects that make up the first batch in a $1 billion initiative being rolled out over five years under the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act would upgrade the culverts or replace them with bridges to allow water — and fish — to flow more freely.

The projects are divided among 59 tribal, state and local governments — with at least one found in 10 different states — and the administration estimates they’ll improve some 500 miles of streams vital to fish ecosystems.

The most-expensive project announced Wednesday is $25 million for Alaska to replace a dozen culvert sites on a major highway connecting Fairbanks and Anchorage with three new bridges and other fish-friendly structures. State officials say the funding will help protect five species of Pacific salmon considered vital to the region’s economy.

“It’s incredibly important, not just for the commercial value but also the way of life for Alaskans,” said Mark Eisenman, a planner with Alaska’s transportation department. “A lot of us go down and get our salmon every year to fill our freezers to have that to eat the rest of the year.”

Washington state, which has been working for years under a court order to improve fish crossings under state roads, is receiving $58 million in federal grant money — the most for any state in the first round of the culvert projects. Other West Coast states to receive money are California, Oregon and Idaho.

While the most funding went to Washington and Alaska, Maine received $35 million. Four other East Coast states also received grants — Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Virginia and North Carolina.