Work closes lane in another section of Mount Baker Highway

Drivers will have to contend with another lane closure on Mount Baker Highway starting Monday, Nov. 30, when work begins to replace part of a broken culvert east of Deming.

The emergency repair is expected to cost $500,000, and the closure should last a month, according to a news release from the Washington State Department of Transportation.

Transportation officials said the damaged culvert is destabilizing the ground under the eastbound lane of the highway near milepost 16, which is close to Marshall Hill Road and about six miles east of Nugents Corner.

The road will be reduced to one lane, seven days a week, starting at 8 a.m. Monday.

That will allow crews to fix a 6-foot section of the culvert, which is 140 feet long.

Flaggers will control traffic during the day and a signal will control traffic at night during repairs, which are expected to take four weeks.

Motorists are being told to leave extra time for travel.

“We understand lane closures on the highway are an inconvenience for drivers,” said Chris Damitio, project engineer for WSDOT, in the news release. “By working seven days a week, we plan to minimize the delays as much as possible, while still making the repairs to protect drivers and the highway.”

The culvert, which was originally installed in 1931, was damaged during storms in November.

It is the second lane closure on the highway, also known as State Route 542, in recent weeks.

Mount Baker Highway near milepost 39, about six miles east of Glacier, has been restricted to one lane since Nov. 17 as a precaution while emergency repairs are made to erosion caused by the Nooksack River. The lane closure is expected to last for a number of weeks.

This project is expected to cost more than $500,000.

This story was originally published November 28, 2015 at 11:10 AM with the headline "Work closes lane in another section of Mount Baker Highway."