Highway 9 closure will take these drivers 68 miles out of their way
Replacing a culvert to allow easier passage for spawning salmon will close Highway 9 in the South Fork Valley for four days next week.
A planned closure of Highway 9 between Maleng and Rothenbuhler roads will cut off residents of the foothills communities of Acme and Saxon from Monday, July 26, to Thursday, July 29, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Highway 9 is a trucking route between the Seattle area and British Columbia and sees heavy tourist traffic in summer.
Next week’s 96-hour closure will require a 68-mile detour, and signs will be in place, WSDOT said in a statement.
“This closure allows crews to excavate the existing roadway, remove the existing culvert, install the new culvert and rebuild the roadway,” WSDOT said.
“It’s especially important for truck drivers to follow the detour as there’s no place to turn around. Vehicles that don’t follow these signs will be forced to back up,” WSDOT said.
At least one lane of the highway will be open after the four-day closure, WSDOT said.
WSDOT has been replacing culverts across Whatcom County and the entire state, partly in response to a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said the state was obligated by treaty with Northwest tribes to restore stream flows that have been restricted by culverts built under state roads and highways.
During this summer’s work, a WSDOT contractor will replace a 30-inch culvert with a 14-foot by 10-foot culvert under Highway 9, on an unnamed tributary to Landingstrip Creek.
Landingstrip Creek flows into the south fork of the Nooksack River and is habitat for several Pacific salmon species, according to the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association.
