 Jan. 2, 2026
 Crews began work to rebuild an emankment and repair State Route 530 after it was damaged by floodwaters in December.
Emergency repairs began Monday, Dec. 29, on a section of State Route 530 about 8 miles south of Rockport damaged by recent floods.
Contractor crews built 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 later this month. 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.
The left lane of southbound Interstate 5 will close from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7, between just north of SR 534/Conway (milepost 220) and Starbird Road (milepost 218) for maintenance.
Our maintenance crews will perform road survey work in the median during the closure. People should slow down and watch for workers during the lane reduction.
The calendar may have just flipped to January, but we're starting to get ready for some projects we will begin over the next few summers. Our crews will be out sampling pavement in several areas this week across Whatcom and Skagit counties.
This means travelers should expect daytime single-lane alternating traffic:
- On SR 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily Monday, Jan. 5, to Wednesday, Jan. 7, between Park Road and Doran Road (mileposts 68 to 70).
- On SR 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily Monday, Jan. 5, to Wednesday, Jan. 7, between SR 542 and SR 544 (mileposts 84 to 90).
- On SR 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily Monday, Jan. 5, to Wednesday, Jan. 7, between SR 546 and Sumas Avenue (mileposts 94 to 97).
- On SR 547 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily Monday, Jan. 5, through Wednesday, Jan. 7, between Saar Creek and the Sumas River (mileposts 9 to 10).
- On SR 534 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8, from I-5 to west of SR 9 (milepost 0 to 5).
Please watch for flaggers in these areas.
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. 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 southbound I-5 will close from 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, to 5 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7, south of the North Lake Samish exit (milepost 246) to move Jersey barrier.
- The left lane of northbound I-5 will close from 10 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7, to 5 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 8, for Jersey barrier replacement.
State Route 542
- Temporary signals will alternate eastbound and westbound traffic until further notice east of Wells Creek Road (milepost 41) and near O'Keefe Creek (milepost 43) while repairs are made.
State Route 546
- Flaggers will alternate eastbound and westbound traffic from 9 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, to 5 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7, near Vinup Road (milepost 2) for utility work.
Skagit County
State Route 9
- Flaggers will alternate northbound and southbound traffic from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily Monday, Jan. 5, to Wednesday, Jan. 7, near Mount Vernon Big Lake Road (milepost 49) for utility work.
State Route 11
- Flaggers will alternate northbound and southbound traffic from 9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8, to 5 a.m. Friday, Jan. 9, near Estes Road (milepost 7) for utility work.
State Route 20
- Eastbound and westbound traffic will alternate until further notice near Bacon Creek Road (milepost 113) until repairs are made.
State Route 536
- Flaggers will alternate eastbound and westbound traffic from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly Monday, Jan. 5, through Friday morning, Jan. 9, between Young Road and Division Street (mileposts 0 to 4) for utility work.
Island County
State Route 525
- Flaggers will alternate northbound and southbound traffic from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly Sunday, Jan. 4, through Wednesday morning, Jan. 7, from Admirals Drive to SR 20 (mileposts 29 to 30) for utility work.
David Rasbach
WSDOT communications
david.rasbach@wsdot.wa.gov
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