The Labor Day holiday is giving Whatcom County drivers a brief break from construction delays, but road crews return to work next week with several projects that will affect commuters on some of the region's most-traveled routes. Fish passage work, bridge inspections, and ongoing culvert projects will bring lane reductions and temporary closures to I-5 northbound, Chuckanut Drive, and Highway 9 starting the week of September 8.

I-5 Northbound Near North Lake Samish

The most significant disruption for many Whatcom County commuters will be on I-5 northbound near the North Lake Samish exit. Starting Tuesday night, September 8, ongoing fish passage work will reduce northbound traffic to a single lane. The lane reduction will be in effect from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday morning, meaning the tightest travel conditions will occur during late evening hours.

Crews will also close the off-ramp to Alger and Lake Samish Road during those same overnight hours. Drivers who normally use that exit for access to the Lake Samish area or as a shortcut to Chuckanut Drive should plan alternate routes during the closure windows. The work is part of a broader Washington State Department of Transportation fish passage improvement program that has been active in the North Lake Samish area for several years, replacing culverts that previously blocked salmon migration beneath the highway.

Fish passage restoration is a significant ongoing project statewide. A 2001 federal court ruling found that culverts blocking salmon runs on state-owned roads violated treaty fishing rights, and WSDOT has been working through a list of priority fixes ever since. The work near Lake Samish is one piece of that long-term commitment. Once completed, the new culverts allow Chinook and coho salmon to reach spawning habitat upstream that was previously inaccessible due to poorly designed or deteriorating infrastructure.

Chuckanut Drive Bridge Inspection

On Thursday, September 10, drivers on Chuckanut Drive near the Whatcom and Skagit County line will encounter an alternating traffic pattern from 7:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. A planned bridge inspection is the reason for the temporary traffic control. Alternating flow means one direction of traffic will stop and wait while vehicles in the other direction pass through the work zone.

Chuckanut Drive is one of the most scenic and heavily used two-lane roads in Whatcom County, connecting Bellingham to the Skagit Valley through a stretch of cliffs, farmland, and bay views. It carries a mix of commuter traffic, recreational cyclists, and tourist vehicles, which makes even temporary lane reductions noticeable. Drivers who use this route regularly should expect the inspection to cause short delays during the morning window and should consider timing their trips accordingly.

Highway 9 Near Kalloch Road Extended Through September 24

In Skagit County, a lane reduction on Highway 9 near Kalloch Road has been extended through September 24. Although this work falls just south of the Whatcom County line, it affects drivers traveling between Whatcom County and Skagit County on SR 9, a route commonly used as an alternative to I-5 when freeway conditions are poor. The extension means the one-lane condition will continue for several more weeks before normal traffic flow resumes on that stretch.

The Kalloch Road work is also related to fish passage culvert replacement, part of the same statewide program driving the I-5 work described above. WSDOT has been replacing undersized and deteriorating culverts on state highways throughout western Washington, and several of those projects overlap with Whatcom County travel patterns even when the physical work location is just across the county line.

Planning Around the Closures

For Whatcom County commuters, the key dates to note are Tuesday, September 8 through Thursday morning, September 10 for the I-5 northbound work, and Thursday, September 10 for the Chuckanut Drive inspection. Both sets of work are relatively short windows, but the I-5 lane reduction will repeat on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, so drivers heading south on their commute should check conditions before departing late in the evening.

WSDOT publishes real-time traffic information, including active lane closures and incident reports, through its Travel Washington website and app. The agency also maintains a traveler information line at 511 for those who prefer a phone-based update. Signing up for email or text alerts on specific highway corridors is another option for frequent travelers on I-5 or Chuckanut Drive.

For a broader look at what road projects are coming to north Bellingham as fall construction season continues, a related story published today covers lane closures on Meridian Street tied to a new sewer infrastructure project.