 April 17, 2026
In case you missed the good news on Wednesday, April 15, both lanes of northbound Interstate 5 reopened around noon south of Bellingham. The reopening came after geotechnical engineers completed a final inspection of the slope.
Northbound I-5 had been closed for nearly four weeks between North Lake Samish Road (exit 246) and State Route 11/Old Fairhaven Parkway (exit 250) after a March 19 landslide. Since then, our specialty contractor crews worked seven days a week under an emergency contract to stabilize the slope and clear debris so the highway could safely reopen.
This was a major effort. Stabilizing a slope after a landslide requires careful, controlled work that cannot be rushed. And this was a big slope – about 250 feet wide and nearly 100 feet tall.
Crews worked from the top of the slope down. They carefully checked every crevice and removed or secured loose rocks by hand before moving to the area below. Plans often changed as new unstable areas were found. Removing debris too soon or working out of order could have caused more slides, created dangerous conditions or led to delays.
All told, our crews, drilled 2,065 linear feet to anchor 96 steel dowels 15 to 25 feet into the rock face. Each dowel was placed according to plans designed by geotechnical engineers to stabilize the slope.
While work continued above, other crews broke apart large boulders at the bottom of the slope. One boulder was larger than a city bus, measuring 57 feet wide, 31 feet tall, and 20 feet deep. The broken pieces were first used to stabilize other large boulders before crews began hauling material away around the clock. In total, about 7,000 cubic yards of debris was removed—enough to fill two Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Crews also repaired drainage systems damaged in the slide, though I-5 itself was not damaged.
If you haven’t yet, check out our Flickr album for photos and videos that show our work from the day after the slide until Wednesday, when the Washington State Patrol led the first vehicles along the 4-mile stretch of northbound I-5 south of Bellingham.
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Our work reopening northbound I-5 may be finished, but there is still plenty of work to be done along the corridor between Bellingham and Burlington. We will continue to have nightly lane reductions in two places along northbound and southbound I-5 next week, as we prepare to remove barriers to fish migration and install new structures this summer at two locations.
Between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. nightly Sunday, April 19, through Friday morning, April 24, people traveling northbound should expect delays while:
- The left lane closes near Alger Road (mileposts 240 to 242).
- The right lane closes near North Lake Samish Road (mileposts 245 to 247).
Likewise, southbound travelers should expect delays between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. nightly Sunday, April 19, through Friday morning, April 24, while:
- The right lane closes near North Lake Samish (mileposts 247 to 245).
- The left lane closes near Alger Road (mileposts 242 to 240).
This work is part of our project along I-5 at Lake Creek, Chuckanut Creek, Unnamed Tributaries to Friday Creek and an Unnamed Tributary to Lake Creek. The lane reductions near Alger Road will allow crews to build temporary crossover lanes in the median.
Once the crossovers are complete in May, traffic will use the lanes so that a single lane of I-5 can be maintained in each direction while a new fish passable structure is installed beneath mainline northbound I-5. This will take 12 days to install. A similar lane reduction using the temporary crossover lanes will be used later this summer to install a new fish passable structure beneath southbound lanes.
The new structures near Alger Road will correct 12 barriers to fish passage and provide a potential habitat gain of more than 4.2 miles for coho, resident trout, steelhead and sea-run cutthroat.
I-5 ramp closures in Whatcom County
Our maintenance teams also will have several overnight lane and ramp closures next week for various work in Bellingham and Ferndale, including:
- From 9 p.m. Tuesday, April 21, to 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 22, the Merdian Street on-ramp to southbound I-5 (milepost 256) will close.
- From 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, to 3:30 a.m. Thursday, April 23, the Bakerview Road on-ramp to northbound I-5 (milepost 258) will close.
- From 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, to 2:30 a.m. Thursday, April 23, the Iowa/Ohio Street on-ramp to southbound I-5 will close.
- From 9 p.m. Thursday, April 23, to 3 a.m. Friday, April 25, the northbound I-5 off-ramp to Peace Portal Drive will close.
- From 10:30 p.m. Thursday, April 23, to 12:30 a.m. Friday, April 24, the Bakerview Road on-ramp to I-5 (milepost 258) will close. One right lane of southbound I-5 and the southbound I-5 off-ramp to Northwest Avenue (milepost 257) also will close at the same time.
 People who use or live near the SR 542 bridge over Glacier Creek in Whatcom County are invited to learn more about an upcoming bridge replacement project through our online open house.
We are hosting the open house through noon Monday, April 20, to provide information on construction of a new bridge over Glacier Creek that will connect to the existing Gallop Creek Bridge. We want your feedback on proposed pedestrian, bicycle and roadway strategies.
Construction is expected for spring 2028 through winter 2029. While this project focuses on bridge replacement, it also has gone through a Complete Streets pre-design phase to consider strategies for all users, including people walking, bicycling, rolling, taking transit and driving.
 We will be at the 2026 Tulip Festival Street Fair in Mount Vernon this weekend.
We will have a booth at this weekend's 2026 Tulip Festival Street Fair in downtown Mount Vernon. Come on out and visit us during the three days of fun:
- 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, April 17
- 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 18
- 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 19
Here is your chance to ask questions about our upcoming SR 536 Skagit River Bridge Painting project, which will preserve this vital link between downtown and West Mount Vernon and help extend its service life.
You can also learn about us and a number of other projects we have planned for this summer in and near Skagit County, including the:
Of course, if you're out there anyway, don't forget to check out the star of the show - the tulips - during the final weeks of the 2026 Skagit Tulip Festival.
While bicyclists and winter recreationists traditionally use the area beyond the annual closure of SR 20/North Cascades Highway, these areas still require repair.
SR 20 remains blocked east of Newhalem (milepost 130) at Diablo Lake after a slide March 17. The road will remain closed due to rocks on the roadway. The closure is about 4 miles from the seasonal closure point at Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134).
There is also more damage to SR 20 beyond the season closure gates that needs to be repaired. This damage (between mileposts 143 and 145) occurred during December's atmospheric river and flooding events.
People are encouraged to avoid accessing this area until safe roadway conditions are re-established. Biking in this area is not recommended until those repairs are finished. Once we begin repairs, both areas will likely be active work zones seven days a week. Only authorized people wearing proper personal protective equipment are allowed within our work zones.
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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
State Route 539
- The northbound right lane will close from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly Wednesday, April 22, to Friday morning, April 24, for utility work.
Skagit County
State Route 9
- Eastbound and westbound traffic will alternate from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, April 17, and Monday, April 20, south of Mount Vernon Big Lake Road (milepost 49) for utility work.
- Eastbound and westbound traffic will alternate from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly Tuesday, April 21, through Friday morning, April 24, south of Mount Vernon Big Lake Road (milepost 49) for utility work.
Island County
State Route 20
- Eastbound and westbound traffic will alternate from 8 p.m. Thursday, April 23, to 5 a.m. Friday, April 24, north of H Street Road (milepost 15) for utility work.
Northern Snohomish County
State Route 9
- Northbound and southbound traffic will alternate from 8 p.m. Thursday, April 23, to 5 a.m. Friday, April 24, north of Stanwood Bryant Road (milepost 34) for utility work.
State Route 530
- Eastbound and westbound traffic will alternate from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, April 17, west of Darrington (milepost 48).
David Rasbach
WSDOT communications
david.rasbach@wsdot.wa.gov
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