 May 16, 2025
 It may not be officially summer yet, but travelers should plan ahead for summer-like crowds during Memorial Day weekend.
We released our Memorial Day weekend travel charts showing the best (and worst) times to travel on key routes, such as Interstate 5, US 2, I-90 and at the I-5/Canada border crossing. Most state highway construction will pause Friday through Tuesday, May 23-27 to help ease congestion, though some temporary lane shifts, closures or adjusted bike lanes may remain in place.
We encourage you to “know before you go,” and follow these tips whether traveling across town or statewide:
- Get informed about our online tools, including the WSDOT mobile app, traffic cameras and email alerts.
- Visit online traveler information for traffic, weather, ferry schedules and a real-time travel map.
- Follow us on various social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Bluesky and X.
- Identify potential safety rest areas before heading out, to ensure enough breaks to avoid drowsy driving.
- Pre-program vehicle radios to 530 AM and 1610 AM for highway advisory radio alerts – and be alert for other stations listed on notice signs in some areas.
- Have a backup outdoor destination, as parks and other outdoor recreation sites tend to fill up quickly on holiday weekends. If a site’s parking is full, never park along road shoulders, as this is unsafe for everyone on the roadway, including emergency response vehicles.
 Contractor crews from ICI mobilized to the State Route 11 rockslide site on May 8 and began hauling debris. While a significant amount of material has been removed, large boulders remain in place to help protect the road surface during ongoing scaling work on the rock slope.
Crews continue working 6 days a week and progress has been steady. If work continues at this pace, the scaling crew may shift to milepost 13.24 next week, clearing the way for rock drilling to begin at the main slide area near milepost 9.75 at the current closure, about 5 miles south of Larrabee State Park in Bellingham.
The operation is going well and currently tracking slightly ahead of schedule. As a reminder, businesses, trailheads and Larrabee State Park remain open while this work is underway.
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If you're involved in a fender bender or minor collision, please remember:
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Move to a Safe Location: If you and your passengers are not injured, it’s crucial to move your vehicle out of the travel lanes as quickly and safely as possible. This will help prevent further collisions, minimize traffic disruptions and keep our Incident Response Team and emergency responders safe as they respond to the scene.
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Turn on Your Hazard Lights: Ensure your vehicle is clearly visible to other drivers by turning on your hazard lights once you’ve moved out of the lanes.
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Assess Damage and Exchange Information: Once safely out of the travel lanes, you can assess the damage, exchange insurance and contact information with the other driver(s), and, if necessary, contact law enforcement.
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Be Alert: Watch for other vehicles as you move and stay vigilant. Avoid blocking intersections or driveways and pull over to a safe location like the shoulder or a parking lot if possible.
Your cooperation ensures everyone's safety, helps keep traffic moving smoothly and allows our responders to do their work safely. Thank you for doing your part!
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 May is and our region is celebrating! Transportation systems that work well for people biking benefit every traveler. Building safer, more comfortable bike networks gives all of us more travel options. Opting to ride instead of drive for even some of our trips can boost our mood and our health, cut down on our transportation costs, and reduce pollution for everyone. And for those of us who don’t or can’t drive, bikes can give us transportation freedom.
Every month is Bike Month for those of us who regularly use bikes for transportation, fitness or recreation. We know how much bikes add to our lives want others to enjoy the same. At WSDOT, Bike Month also reminds us to celebrate how we’re expanding our network with : roads that are make space for everyone. We’re creating and maintaining safer and more comfortable places to ride around Puget Sound, while funding local bike lanes, crossings and other bike-friendly infrastructure through Active Transportation Division grant programs.
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.
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, May 18
- From 9 p.m. Sunday, May 18 to 4 a.m. Monday, May 19, the southbound I-5 off-ramp to State Route 20/Avon Cutoff in Burlington (milepost 230) will close for guardrail repairs.
Monday, May 19
Monday, May 19 and Tuesday, May 20
Monday, May 19 to Wednesday, May 21
Monday, May 19 to Thursday, May 22
Tuesday, May 20 and Wednesday, May 21
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Nightly, from 10 p.m. to 4:30 a.m., maintenance crews will close a single lane of southbound I-5 in Bellingham between the Pedestrian Overpass (Milepost 254) and Samish Way (milepost 252) as well as the off-ramp to Lakeway Drive (milepost 253) for crack sealing.
Thursday, May 22
Sunday, May 25
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