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Washington State Department of Transportation
Northwest Region – 15700 Dayton Avenue – Shoreline, WA 98133 – 206-440-4000
TRAVEL ADVISORY
June 9, 2026
Contacts: David Rasbach, communications, 206-719-0603
Southbound I-5 traffic shifts onto a bypass road starting Thursday, June 11, south of Bellingham
BELLINGHAM – Both lanes of southbound Interstate 5 will move onto a temporary two-lane bypass road beginning at 8 p.m. Thursday, June 11, along Chuckanut Creek (milepost 247) south of Bellingham. Southbound traffic will continue to use the bypass through September.
During the traffic shift, contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will install a new fish-passable structure beneath the southbound lanes as part of a project correcting 17 barriers to fish migration near Lake Samish.
What to expect
Beginning at 8 p.m. Thursday, June 11, both southbound I-5 lanes will shift onto a temporary two-lane bypass next to existing lanes near Chuckanut Creek. People traveling through the area Thursday night should expect lane reductions and rolling slowdowns until the lane shift is complete at 5 a.m. Friday, June 12.
The speed limit temporarily will reduce to 50 mph in the work area through September while the bypass is in use. With traffic off southbound I-5, crews will excavate the roadbed, remove the old culvert, install a new fish-passable structure and rebuild the permanent southbound I-5 lanes.
The bypass route will use a section of Old Samish Road, which has been closed to through traffic in both directions since April 27.
After southbound I-5 work is complete, Old Samish Road will remain closed to through traffic until the end of the year while a new fish passage structure is installed beneath the county road.
Northbound I-5 traffic also will move onto a temporary two-lane bypass. That shift is scheduled for Monday night, June 15.
People can find more project information about the I-5 Tributaries to Friday, Lake and Chuckanut Creeks Fish passage project by visiting an online open house.
Real-time travel information is available via the WSDOT mobile app, the WSDOT travel map or by signing up for WSDOT's email updates.
Hyperlinks within the release:
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WSDOT keeps people, businesses and the economy moving by operating and improving the state's transportation systems. To learn more about what we're doing, go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/news for pictures, videos, news and blogs. Real time traffic information is available at wsdot.com/traffic.
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