Construction zone on this part of I-5 could get worse as bridge project starts new phase
Drivers heading between Seattle and Bellingham can expect delays for several months as the southbound Interstate 5 bridge over the Stillaguamish River is painted and minor repairs and maintenance are performed.
All three southbound lanes of the 88-year-old bridge near Arlington will be closed starting the week of Monday, June 21.
Southbound traffic will be diverted to the northbound bridge, allowing for two lanes in each direction.
“Travelers should anticipate increased congestion and backups during peak commute hours,” the Washington State Department of Transportation said in a statement.
Work on the bridge is expected to last until the fall.
Daily traffic on each span of the bridge averages 39,000 cars and trucks a day, according to WSDOT records.
Traffic can reach 50,000 cars and trucks daily in summer.
Prep work began in April on the southbound lanes of the 607-foot steel truss bridge, which was built in 1933 for U.S. Highway 99, WSDOT said.
When I-5 was built in the 1960s, what is now the southbound bridge carried two lanes in each direction.
A northbound bridge was built next to it in 1971, and traffic was separated into three northbound lanes and three southbound lanes.
This story was originally published June 19, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
