This Whatcom road project will cause detours through summer
Drivers on Guide Meridian near Lynden could see detours this summer because of work slated south of Main Street.
It’s part of a $2.7 million Washington State Department of Transportation project to widen a culvert where the roadway crosses Duffner Ditch and allow migrating salmon swim through easier.
Statewide efforts to boost water flow in salmon-bearing streams are part of a 2013 court ruling that said the state must protect salmon runs under treaties with its Indigenous people.
An exact schedule wasn’t set for the project, but reports from WSDOT and the Whatcom County Public Works Department said that the project involves 47 working days between July 15 and Sept. 30.
That’s the so-called “fish window” for in-stream work.
Duffner Ditch, also called Duffner Creek, crosses under Guide Meridian Road between Main and Front streets in Lynden.
A bypass for southbound traffic was planned, along with a detour for northbound traffic, at the location on Guide Meridian that sees 17,000 cars daily, according to a county report.
But there will be 10 days when work will require full closure of the road, which is officially State Route 539.
No work will be allowed during Northwest Washington Fair in August, according to the county report.
