New I-5 onramp expected to ease traffic congestion at this longtime Bellingham bottleneck
A big construction project starting this spring at one of Bellingham’s busiest overpasses should lead to better traffic flow.
The Washington State Department of Transportation is moving forward with plans to build a northbound Interstate 5 freeway onramp at the West Bakerview overpass. It’ll be built on the east side of the freeway, while the existing ramp on the west side will remain for those heading northbound approaching from the west, including from the airport.
The $9.9 million project is expected to get started this spring, weather permitting, and finish up by this fall, said Jordan Longacre, construction communications specialist for WSDOT’s Northwest Region.
Construction will create some impacts to traffic such as lane closures on Bakerview, Longacre said in an email. Bakerview will have at least one lane open in each direction at all times and typical lane closures will happen between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. Interstate 5 will be affected during construction with shoulder and single-lane closures during the nighttime hours.
When complete, northbound travelers coming from the places like Costco, Bakerview Fred Meyer and Bellis Fair won’t need to cross the overpass to get on the freeway, which should reduce traffic congestion, particularly during commute hours. The new onramp will have one lane.
According to WSDOT, more than 30,000 drivers use the four ramps connecting I-5 and West Bakerview Road and those numbers are expected to increase given the new development in the area.
The project has been in the works for years and it was unclear until recently whether it would be built. About two acres of land where the onramp will be built was owned by Madrona Bay Real Estate Investments, which had plans to build a 426-unit apartment complex called CityScape.
During the condemnation process, WSDOT paid $3 million for the property, with the deal closing about a month ago, said Morgan Bartlett, director of Madrona Bay Real Estate Investments.
“Overall, I would have preferred to build the (CityScape) project, as more housing is desperately needed within the city limits,” Bartlett said in an email. “Vacancy rates continue to hover at all-time lows, and rents continue to spike. More supply is needed to help balance this market..”
