Nearly two months after rockslide, scenic Chuckanut Drive reopens to traffic
Chuckanut Drive, the scenic byway that connects south Bellingham to Skagit County, reopened Thursday, nearly two months after a massive rockslide covered the highway and forced a closure.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) announced the reopening in a news release Thursday, estimating that full traffic would resume by 2 p.m. Thursday.
The slide occurred the morning of April 22 between mileposts 9 and 10. Crews removed more than 3,600 tons of debris, including 15-20 SUV-sized boulders, and replaced 125 feet of damaged guardrail, according to WSDOT. Workers also drilled anchors into the cliffside to help improve stability.
The slide did not reach or impact the train tracks nearby, and no injuries were reported as a result of the slide.
Most of the rocks were taken to North Hill Resources, a landscaping supply store in Burlington, according to Larry Biggs, chief inspector for the WSDOT Mount Vernon Project Office.
WSDOT’s RB McKeon told The Herald in May that once the slide is cleared, the state plans to repair a separate rock fall about one mile south of the Whatcom-Skagit county line, the result of a 2024 incident. Traffic will be controlled by flaggers with intermittent holds during that repair process, McKeon said.
This story was originally published June 19, 2025 at 1:58 PM.
.jpg)