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Washington State Department of Transportation
Northwest Region – 15700 Dayton Ave. N. – Shoreline, WA 98133 – 206-440-4000
TRAVEL ADVISORY
June 9, 2026
Contact: David Rasbach, communications, 206-719-0603 (mobile)
SR 536 Skagit River Bridge closes to eastbound traffic for several months beginning Thursday, June 11
MOUNT VERNON – Beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 11, the State Route 536 Skagit River/Division Street Bridge will close to eastbound traffic through the duration of a project to repaint the historic bridge.
Contractors working for the Washington State Department of Transportation are expected to finish this important preservation work in early 2027 before the start of the 2027 Skagit Tulip Festival.
What to expect
Beginning Thursday night, people traveling eastbound from West Mount Vernon will need to detour using northbound Avon Allen Road, eastbound SR 20 and southbound Interstate 5. People coming from the Anacortes or Oak Harbor area should continue on eastbound SR 20 to southbound I-5, and people coming from LaConner should also use alternate routes. People traveling from the west side of the Skagit River should add time to their travel plans during the closure.
The bridge will remain open for westbound traffic coming from downtown Mount Vernon through most of the project, and no additional delays are expected.
The bridge also will remain open for pedestrians, bicyclists and people using mobility devices in both directions for most of the project.
Emergency responders will be able to use the bridge in both directions throughout the project. Emergency vehicles are equipped with traffic signal prioritization switches. In an emergency, these switches will signal temporary traffic signals positioned at both ends of the bridge, turning them red to hold traffic until the emergency vehicles have passed through the area.
Preserving a historic bridge
The SR 536 Skagit River Bridge was last painted in 1990. During this project, crews will remove the old paint and debris, including bird droppings and rust. They also will carefully inspect the bridge and replace or repair parts that have heavy corrosion. They will then apply primer layers and a fresh coat of protective light gray paint, the same color used in 1990.
To protect the Skagit River during construction, crews will install a containment system around the bridge. This system will catch paint and debris while workers remove the existing paint and apply new coats to help preserve the bridge for years to come. To create room for the containment system, SR 536/West Division Street must be reduced to a single lane over the bridge.
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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