 August 2, 2024
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 Shiver me timbers, there’s a lot of construction going on statewide, especially along the Olympic Peninsula. Plus, Seafair means a whole lot traffic on roads around Lake Washington. The Interstate-90 bridges between Seattle and Bellevue will be open, along with the trail, but remember: People biking, walking, or rolling should not stop or stand along the trail during the air shows. Don’t get marooned.
If you’re seasick of the Seattle area and venturing south, there’s roadwork along southbound I-5 in Woodland, and the delays are daunting for you landlubbers. Don’t be a scallywag: Stay on I-5 and give yourselves plenty of time to get where you’re going. Or consider other forms of transportation like Amtrak Cascades. Expect heavy delays on I-90 between North Bend and Cle Elum Friday and Sunday afternoons due to Watershed.
Make a plan, travel in the morning and leave in the evening, and know before you go with our mobile app or real-time travel map.
Construction at the southbound I-5 and Slater Road intersection "ramps" up with a whole lot of dirt.
 Crews are realigning the southbound I-5 off-ramp to Slater Rd for the new roundabout, which requires adding more dirt. On Monday night alone, 2,000 tons of dirt was placed with more dirt added throughout this last week to build up the ramp embankments. The new alignment is to support the new, larger roundabout.
- This upcoming week travelers should expect some potential, overnight southbound I-5 off-ramp to Slater Rd closures for intersection improvements, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Our contractor crews will remove the old, compact roundabout and install a new, larger, two-lane roundabout on Slater Road between Rural Avenue and I-5.
- Mid-September, you should expect a continuous two-week closure of the southbound I-5 on- and off-ramps at Slater Road. Signed detours will guide people around the ramp closures.
- During the weeknights, you should expect single-lane closures on Slater Road between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. throughout until construction completes in early 2025.
People traveling in this area should plan extra time and expect delays.
Southbound I-5 to Slater Road off-ramp detour map
 Slater Road to southbound I-5 on-ramp detour map
We installed new lighting along the Iowa Street on-ramp to northbound I-5 on Thursday night, July 25, and we’ll be back in Bellingham next week to update the guardrail along the ramp.
To do that work, we will need to close the ramp from 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 31, to 5 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 1. A signed detour will guide people to the Lakeway Drive on-ramp to northbound I-5 during the closure.
Wednesday night’s work will mark the completed of the Northwest Region Breakaway Cable Terminal Replacement project, which updated 24 guardrails and barriers across Whatcom, King and Snohomish counties since work began in March.
Shiver me timbers, there’s a lot of construction going on statewide, especially along the Olympic Peninsula. Plus, Seafair means a whole lot of vehicle and vessel traffic on roads around Lake Washington. The I-90 bridges between Seattle and Bellevue will be open, along with the trail, but remember: People biking, walking, or rolling should not stop or stand along the trail during the air shows. Don’t get marooned.
If you’re seasick of the Seattle area and venturing south, there’s roadwork along southbound I-5 in Woodland, and the delays are pretty daunting for you landlovers. Don’t be a scallywag: Stay on I-5 and give yourselves plenty of time to get where you’re going. Or consider other forms of transportation like Amtrak Cascades. Expect heavy delays on I-90 between North Bend and Cle Elum Friday and Sunday afternoons due to Watershed.
Make a plan, travel in the morning and leave in the evening, and know before you go with our mobile app or real-time travel map.
 68 work zone collisions. Not this year. Not this summer. Not statewide. Just the month of July across the greater Puget Sound area. We try to keep it pretty light on here, but it needs to be said: This is completely unacceptable and preventable.
Far too often, our workers are hurt in these types of collisions. Like many of you, they are just trying to do their jobs. Like many of you, they just want to go home to their families at the end of their shift. Whether we work during the day or night, the dangers road workers face has increased exponentially.
The good news is that the fix should be simple. The leading causes of these collisions are speeding, distracted driving, driving under the influence and following too closely. The solution is quite literally a matter of slowing down, giving the crews plenty of space to work and paying attention to your surroundings. It is literally up to you.
Please help our workers get home safely
We need everyone’s help to prevent brush fires and larger wildfires.
The primary roadside fire risks include burning material, such as a discarded cigarette or a firework; a blown tire or other malfunction that causes sparks; and inadvertently dragging chains over the roadway. The heat from the bottom of a vehicle also can start a fire just by driving over dry grass.
Here’s how you can help prevent roadside fires:
- Never throw a cigarette or any lit or flammable material from a vehicle.
- Check the air pressure in your tires to help prevent a blowout.
- Ensure chains are not dragging when towing a heavy load or an RV.
- Use battery-operated lighted cones or reflective triangles if broken down instead of a lit flare.
These and other small actions can make a difference in preventing a roadside fire from starting in the first place.
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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Sunday, August 4 to Thursday, August 8
- Nightly from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 4 to Thursday morning, Aug. 8 maintenance crews will alternate traffic on State Route 532 in Stanwood between 36th Avenue Northwest (milepost 8) and 64th Avenue Northwest (milepost 6) for paving.
Monday, August 5 to Tuesday, August 6
- From 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 5 and Tuesday, Aug. 6, maintenance crews will alternate traffic on State Route 11 north of Burlington between Sunset Road (milepost 5) and Colony Road (milepost 8) for crack sealing.
Monday, August 5 to Wednesday, August 7
- Daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday, Aug. 5 to Wednesday, Aug. 7, PSE crews will alternate traffic on State Route 547/Front Street in Sumas at Swartwood Road for utility pole replacement.
Monday, August 5 to Friday, August 9
- Until further notice, from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, contractor crews will intermittently alternate traffic on State Route 20 east of Concrete between Sauk Store Road (milepost 94) and Hornbeck Lane (milepost 95) for road construction related to a fish passage project. The work is expected to end at noon on Fridays.
Tuesday, August 6 to Wednesday, August 7
- From 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 6 and Wednesday, Aug. 7, maintenance crews will close the right lane of State Route 20 east of Anacortes near the Swin Slough Bridge for grinding and paving.
Tuesday, August 6 to Thursday, August 8
- From 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. Monday, July 29 and Tuesday, July 30, the southbound I-5 off-ramp to Slater Road will close for intersection improvements.
Wednesday, August 7
- From 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 7, maintenance crews will close the right lane of southbound Interstate 5 in Ferndale between the Custer Rest Area (milepost 268) and Grandview Road (milepost 266) for crack sealing.
Thursday, August 8
- From 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 8, maintenance crews will close the right lane of northbound Interstate 5 south of Bellingham between Alger (milepost 241) and Nulle Road (milepost 244) for hazardous tree removal.
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