 Dec. 26, 2025
 SR 530 was damaged by floodwaters from the Sauk River earlier this month.
Emergency repairs to a section of State Route 530 about 8 miles south of Rockport damaged by recent floods are expected to begin Monday, Dec. 29.
Contractor crews will build a temporary gravel bypass road along the east shoulder near milepost 59 of SR 530. Local traffic will alternate using the bypass road, creating a work area for crews to rebuild the embankment and backfill the roadbed with gravel. Crews will then pave and stripe SR 530.
Work is expected to take about a month, meaning essential traffic should be restored in January 2026. People should continue to expect delays and limit use of SR 530 between Rockport and Darrington to local access during construction.
An atmospheric river weather event in December produced heavy rain and widespread flooding across much of northwest Washington. On Dec. 11, the Sauk River reached peak stages, covering SR 530 and washing away a 300-foot section of the embankment along the highway. A section of the westbound lane of SR 530 above the eroded embankment failed and fell.
SR 542/Mount Baker Highway is open through the holidays, restoring temporary access east of Glacier to the Mt. Baker Ski Area and Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
A temporary signal alternates eastbound and westbound traffic through a single lane between mileposts 41 and 44. People should expect delays.
Our contractors are developing a strategy to continue repairing SR 542. Details will be released when they are finalized.
Our engineers have assessed the highway and determined temporary repairs have made SR 542 safe for travel in an alternating configuration until repairs can be finalized in early 2026.
We have two daytime lane reductions scheduled next week on northbound Interstate 5 in Bellingham so our maintenance crews can make necessary guardrail and sign repairs:
- The left lane of northbound I-5 will close from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Dec. 29, near the Lakeway Street exit (milepost 253).
- The right lane of northbound I-5 will close from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 30, near the SR 11/Fairhaven Parkway exit (milepost 251) for sign repair.
We'll also close the southbound Guide Meridian on-ramp to southbound I-5 from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly Monday, Dec. 29, through Wednesday morning, Dec. 31, for repairs.
SR 9 will remain closed between SR 20 and West State Street/Trail Road (milepost 55) in Sedro-Woolley until repairs are made to a rail crossing signal box that was damaged in a crash Nov. 1.
The signals box, which facilitates safe operations of the railroad crossing, is owned by BNSF Railway. It was damaged beyond repair. We also own equipment that must be replaced and are coordinating this effort with BNSF. Crews made temporary adjustments to signal timing on SR 20 while the intersection is closed.
There is no estimate for the roadway to reopen, but you can use West State Street/Trail Road as a short detour around this closure.
We often have special events and roadwork taking place in the Northend, including construction projects, maintenance and repairs, though that work will be limited during the holidays. 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.
If you spot our crews, 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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Whatcom County
Interstate 5
- The left lane of northbound I-5 will close from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Dec. 29, near the Lakeway Street exit (milepost 253) for guardrail repair.
- The southbound Meridian on-ramp to southbound I-5 will close from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly Monday, Dec. 29, through Wednesday morning, Dec. 31, for guardrail repair.
- The right lane of northbound I-5 will close from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 30, near the SR 11/Fairhaven Parkway exit (milepost 251) for sign repair.
State Route 9
- Flaggers will alternate traffic from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 26, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 29-30, and from 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Dec. 31, from near Nelson Road (milepost 76) to SR 542 for utility work.
David Rasbach
WSDOT communications
david.rasbach@wsdot.wa.gov
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