 June 14, 2024
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Follow us on Twitter @WSDOT_North for real-time information. |
Besties, we're in for an unsettled weather pattern in Western Washington, beginning today, June 14 through Sunday, June 16. Prepare for lightning, rail, hail and gusty winds.
 Headed up to the Cascades for recreation over the weekend? Please pay attention to the weather while hiking or camping. In addition to the thunderstorm threat, snow levels may also reach as low as 3000-4000 feet for light snowfall amounts on Saturday as well.
 Follow @NWSSeattle for weather updates!
Real-time road updates: https://wsdot.com/Travel/Real-time/Map/
 Washington State Patrol, Washington Traffic Safety Commission, Washington State Department of Transportation, and Washington Department of Ecology are coming together to raise public awareness about the need to properly secure cargo before hitting the state’s roadways. Not only a source of roadside litter and environmental hazards, unsecured loads are substantial safety risks for the traveling public. The campaign also honors individuals whose lives have been lost or affected by objects falling from an unsecured vehicle load.
“We all have a responsibility to protect one another and to protect our environment by securing cargo to prevent dangerous debris from falling on our roads,” said Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. “Washingtonians care about our environment, and we care about our communities – let’s all do our part to reduce litter and keep our roads safe.” We need you to:
- Properly cover and tie down all loads, on all trips.
- Keep trash and debris securely gathered in vehicles until you reach home, so it doesn’t fall out or fly out of vehicles. Ecology provides free litter bags that are available for pick up at Fred Meyer locations throughout the year in Washington state.
- Properly dispose of all trash; do not dump it at rest areas, parking lots or other land.
It’s well established that unsecure loads and subsequent roadside debris is both an environmental issue and a significant safety hazard for travelers, roadside workers and all road users. Drivers in Washington state continue to endure crashes due to debris from unsecured loads, with 300 crashes on average each year. This statistic remains
consistent year to year, and in 2023 these crashes led to 16 injuries and tragically one death.
Roadside litter is a costly and ongoing challenge for Washington. Collectively, Ecology and WSDOT invest approximately $12 million annually in litter cleanup efforts on state roads and highways. The two agencies collected nearly 11.2 million pounds of roadway litter statewide in 2023, a 230% increase from the amount picked up in 2022.
Reminder: Littering is illegal under Washington state law.
We often have special events and roadwork taking place in the Northend, including construction projects, maintenance and repairs. We always try to minimize any effects to travel, but sometimes it is necessary to close a lane to do the work or create a safe work zone for our crews.
While we aren't doing a lot of roadwork this week, our crews will still be out monitoring and keeping the roads safe. If you spot them, slow down and give them space to work! A huge thanks to our crews for all their hard work through the holidays.
Want more information? Visit our real time travel center, where these projects and repairs can be found on our travel map, and download our app to receive alerts directly to your smartphone.
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Monday, June 17
- From 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, June 17, Skagit PUD crews will alternate traffic on State Route 9 in Sedro-Woolley between Kalloch Road (milepost 59.1) and Cody Lane (milepost 59.2) for utility work.
Monday, June 17 to Tuesday, June 18
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From 9 p.m. Monday, June 17 to 5 a.m. Tuesday, June 18, maintenance crews will close the right lane of northbound Interstate 5 in Bellingham between Samish Way (milepost 252) to Lakeway Drive (milepost 253) for guardrail repairs.
Monday, June 17 to Friday, June 21
- Nightly, from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., Monday, June 17 to Friday morning, June 21, utility crews will alternate traffic on State Route 9 in Big Lake between West Big Lake Boulevard (milepost 48) and Big Lake Road (milepost 49) for utility work.
Tuesday, June 18
- From 8:30 a.m. to noon Tuesday, June 18, Skagit PUD crews will alternate traffic on State Route 9 in Sedro-Woolley between Kalloch Road (milepost 59.1) and Cody Lane (milepost 59.2) for utility work.
Thursday, June 20
- From noon to 3 p.m. Thursday, June 20, Skagit PUD crews will alternate traffic on State Route 9 in Sedro-Woolley between Kalloch Road (milepost 59.1) and Cody Lane (milepost 59.2) for utility work.
Friday, June 21
- From 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, June 21, Skagit PUD crews will alternate traffic on State Route 9 in Sedro-Woolley between Kalloch Road (milepost 59.1) and Cody Lane (milepost 59.2) for utility work.
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