Work on this congested I-5 crossing in Bellingham aims to ease a continual problem
Work is expected to start this week on a new northbound on-ramp to Interstate 5 at West Bakerview Road in an effort to ease traffic congestion near Bellingham International Airport and shopping centers in the area such as Costco and Fred Meyer.
Drivers can expect lane closures on West Bakerview Road and on I-5 as construction on the $10 million project starts Monday, May 3, and continues through November, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation website.
“The existing northbound I-5 on-ramp at Bakerview will remain unchanged,” WSDOT’s RB McKeon told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
“The new on-ramp will serve to reduce the amount of vehicle traffic on the overpass by providing an additional access point to northbound I-5. It should also reduce congestion in the surrounding intersections,” McKeon said.
“This project will improve traffic flow and reliability and supports our continued partnership with the city of Bellingham to make improvements in this rapidly growing area, providing for more efficient access for people traveling to and from this critical crossroad in the region’s transportation system,” she said.
Drivers can expect that a single lane of northbound I-5 may be closed between 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Sundays through Thursdays.
There will be a single lane closed in each direction on Bakerview Road during construction, WSDOT said.
But the current Bakerview on-ramp to northbound I-5 and at least one lane in each direction of Bakerview Road will remain open during construction, McKeon said.
Average annual daily traffic for the northbound on-ramp in 2019 was about 7,500 cars and trucks, she said.
More than 30,000 drivers use the four ramps connecting Interstate 5 and West Bakerview Road and that number is expected to rise, WSDOT said.
