Washington State Department of Transportation Highway Updates for Bellingham

WSDOT Highway Updates for Whatcom County
Edition 40, June 13, 2008

Ramp closures planned for I-5 in Bellingham

Overnight Guide work could cause delays
Artist Point clearing to begin June 23 … maybe
Get involved with highway planning at two open houses
Striping crews are in town

Ramp closures planned for I-5 in Bellingham
We’re wrapping up our I-5 work, which means we’ll need to close some ramps for paving and intermittently close lanes to seal cracks. So which ramps and lanes will be affected and when? Here’s the scoop:
Monday June 16th from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. – Lakeway northbound off-ramp11 p.m. to 6 a.m. – Iowa southbound off-ramp
Tuesday June 17th from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. – Iowa northbound on- and off-ramps
Wednesday June 18th from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. – Lakeway northbound off-ramp11 p.m. to 6 a.m. – Iowa southbound off-ramp
Thursday June 19th from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. – Iowa northbound on- and off-ramps
Signs will be posted so you can detour around the ramp closures. You can also use our traffic cameras to see if the closures are causing any delays.

Crews will also need to close lanes from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. June 16-18th to seal cracks on I-5 between Samish Way and Sunset Drive. Work will start in the southbound right lane, and crews will intermittently close lanes throughout the project area. This work is weather dependent.

Overnight Guide work could cause delays
If you regularly travel the Guide during the evening, you might notice delays this week. That’s in addition to the now-common construction delays you might be experiencing during the day.

The good news is that the delays should be short-lived. Starting Monday, Puget Sound Energy crews will cut through the pavement to install underground cables at the Pole Road Intersection. Crews hope to get the work done by Friday morning.
Work Monday and Tuesday will be off the road, and shouldn’t cause you too much hassle. Delays aren’t expected until Wednesday and Thursday, June 18 and 19, when lanes will be closed from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Flaggers will direct traffic through the intersection.

Artist Point clearing to begin June 23 … maybe
It’s that time of year again, although you wouldn’t know it by the lovely spring weather we’ve been enjoying. Starting June 23, crews will hopefully begin work to open the road to Artist Point . The work has already been delayed one week because of new snow.

The record amount of snow we got this winter won’t make the work any easier. Not only is it still snowing in the area, there’s been little in the way of snowmelt. Snow near the lookout has buried the bathrooms – and they stand 20 feet tall. The snow is a more manageable 14 feet deep near Terminal Lake. And it’s more than 6 feet deep near the lower gate near the ski lodge.

So how long will it be before you can brave the chill and visit Artist Point for yourself? It can take anywhere from two to six weeks to get the road open. This year will likely be on the longer end. Crews hope to have the road open by late July – which is better than 1999, when Artist Point never opened at all.

Get involved with highway planning at two open houses
Interested in planning projects for state highways in Whatcom County? Check out our two upcoming open houses to ask questions and share your thoughts.

SR 542: If you’d like to share your ideas for how to improve safety on Mount Baker Highway , you’re invited to join us at a WSDOT open house from 5 to 7:30 p.m. this Wednesday, June 18, at the Rome Grange on Mount Baker Highway. It’ll be an informal chance to talk to project engineers, learn about what we would like to do to make the highway safer, and share your thoughts and concerns. If you can’t make it, you can submit comments on our project Web page or contact Dustin Terpening for more information.

I-5: If you’re interested in discussing proposed short- and long-term improvements for I-5 through Bellingham, you’re invited to join us at an open house from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 26, at Kulshan Middle School, 1250 Kenoyer St. in Bellingham. You can comment on potential improvements and give us your ideas for how to make I-5 better. Can’t make it? Feel free to submit comments online or contact Tom Stacey for more information.

Striping crews are in town
Planning to drive any of our state highways in the next couple weeks? If you are, you might want to watch out for our striping crews.

Starting Monday, June 16, WSDOT crews will begin restriping the following roads: I-5, Chuckanut Drive (SR 11), SR 9, Guide Meridian (SR 539), Mount Baker Highway (SR 542), SR 543, Pole Road (SR 544), Badger Road (SR 546), Kendall Road (SR 547) and Blaine Road/Grandview Road (SR 548).

So what’s the No. 1 thing to remember if you see a striping crew? Don’t change lanes behind a striping truck. The paint used to restripe the roadways has a high degree of stickability, which means if you get it on your car, you’ll probably have a tough time getting it off. The work is also weather dependent, so if it’s pouring rain, crews likely won’t be out on the roads.